FULL BIOGRAPHY

Linkin Park is a music band well known for its natural mixing of different music styles that is far different from the music nowadays bands would like to offer. This phenomenon makes this band a "hybrid" in the type of music they play and their fan-base too. Linkin Park began its early origin in 1996 when rapper guitarist, Brad Delson and the MC/vocalist, Mike Shinoda started a band called Xero. Both of them had attended high school together, where they met the band's drummer, Rob Bourdon. Later on Shinoda hooked up with DJ Joseph Hahn while studying illustration at Art Center College in Pasadena, where as Delson, who was attending UCLA, shared an apartment with bassist Phoenix, who left the band after college and returned a year later. To be the last member of the group was Mark Wakefield, the band's vocalist.

At the beginning of the group career, Xero released a four track demo tape, which includes Fuse, Stick N' Move, Rhinestone, and Reading My Eyes. Soon after Mark Wakefield left the band, the other members agreed to change their name to Hybrid Theory, after which Phoenix also decided to leave the band to tour with another band called the Snax. As the two persons left, the rest of the band continued to play together primarily for fun. Later they signed with Zomba Music, an occasion that fortunately came about when they played at The Whiskey Club in Los Angeles. And the time came for the vocalist Chester Benninton, who had made records since his 16 year age and whose pitch notes was "great," to complete the empty seat on the band. Replacing Mark Wakefield, the combination of Bennington's singing talent with Shinoda MC-ing talent has helped to define Linkin Park's distinct vocal quality that weaving influences as diverse as Deftones, Nine Inch Nails, Aphex Twin, and The Roots into a unified whole. That's the way Linkin Park "want everything to come together without feeling forced," explains Shinoda.

Bennington's arrival, as expected, had helped rocketing the band to success, as in the year of 1999, "Carousel, And One, Technique, Step up, High Voltage, and Part of me" were born as a six track EP to tremendous applause. Became famous than ever, the band members came to some legal wrangling made it necessary to change the band's name, and based on their "hybrid' spirit, Linkin Park was chosen. Soon afterward, new demos were made and the chase for a record label was on. Warner Records who heard the music, liked it and signed up Linkin Park and thus the story began. In October 2000, Linkin Park released their debut album named Hybrid Theory, which includes several hits, like One Step Closer, Crawling, and In The End, by which the album respectively received 8 times platinum. What so special about this album that it could gain such achievement is that its distinct trend set up that doesn't contain any curses or swear words due to the band's willingness to write an honest lyrics. That's why they do not include any swear words that will absolutely take away attention from the music itself, rather Linkin Park try to offer their fans something they could listen to over and over again and enjoy repeatedly.

The band entered the studio for sophomore album in mid 2002. Finally, one year later ?Meteora? was released and debuted at #1 in Billboard 100. Highly anticipated, it sold 810,000 copies in the first week and then accumulated 11 million copies worldwide. Not waiting too long, the band released DVD/CD titled ?Live in Texas?. After touring to promote the album, the band laid relatively low in 2005 and concentrated more on their social works. The band established Music for Relief, an organization dedicated to helping those affected by tsunami in 2004. A contract conflict between the band and its label Warner Bros has left each member busy with their solo projects. Fortunately as soon as the matter was settled, the lots hit back to the studio for the third album. On May 15, 2007 ?Minutes to Midnight? will be released with preceding single ?What I've Done? coming out on April 2.