Very few sophomore albums from a rock or metal band have ever been as highly-anticipated as Linkin Park’s Meteora was. It’s not a surprise to figure out why, either. It had the unenviable task of following up Hybrid Theory, the world’s best-selling album of 2001, and a complete game-changing watershed moment in popular music. By 2003, the tide had turned in that nu-metal was becoming somewhat less popular, but that didn’t effect what Linkin Park was trying to do – not merely copying the success of Hybrid Theory, but doing just enough to incorporate some new influences and songwriting. It was a huge success, with songs like “Faint”, “Somewhere I Belong”, and especially “Numb” being huge radio hits – and ensuring that Linkin Park’s success was not a one-hit wonder.
The album, which was released in March 2003, has now been certified 8x Platinum by the RIAA for sales of 8 million copies in the USA alone. It’s the band’s second most successful album behind Hybrid Theory, and one of nu-metal’s most successful albums as well.
