I picked A Thousand Suns, but it won by a narrow margin. As much as I love Hybrid Theory and Minutes to Midnight, there are songs on A Thousand Suns that are ridiculously good. I don’t care for some of the interludes, but I can see why Mike Shinoda wants to be remembered for the album.
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Everyone else: HT or ATS or OML
Me: no clue
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I’m little bit surprised. I’ve got many friends who would decide ‘Hybrid Theory’ because it’s that popular thing. Some of my friends, like I do, choose Meteora ( I think it’s obviously that I choose Meteora 
) but I’ve got also some friends that would choose ATS, but not as many around here 
If I had to rank the studio albums (not include Reanimation & CC):
- Meteora
- Hybrid Theory (I could put Hybrid Theory with Meteora on #1 but I love Meteora a little bit more)
- Minutes to Midnight
- The Hunting Party
- A thousand suns, Living Things, One More Light (it switches so many times which album I prefere more than the others)
Also, like almost everyone know: I’m always that (Nu-) Metal & (Alternative) Rock head when it comes to Linkin Park so 1-4 is no surprise
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It’s a social experiment, just vote! 
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A Thousand Suns is one of my least favourite albums, I’m so surprised it’s on top here. And further more The Hunting Party didn’t get any votes? I didn’t expect this result everyone!
I knew you would pick Meteora!
I think Hybrid Theory is first for me purely because of Reanimation. I feel like I’ve heard different versions of the songs and that makes them more appealing and unique, although I know live versions from other albums are sometimes different too. A Thousand Suns is a weak album for many reasons. Lyrically it is simpler because it doesn’t tackle a wide range of issues like the previous albums had e.g. Papercut, Breaking The Habit. A lot of albums around the time of ATS focused on one arch like telling a stories, however I can’t say I ever understood the “story” of ATS. “Will we burn inside the fires of a thousand suns.” It’s probably too cinematic and farfetched for me to relate to. However, younger fans perhaps came to Linkin Park through this album and it held their attention. Hybrid Theory was my first album and I could relate to the issues in this because they felt real - mostly because of Chester. This was also at time when very few bands tackled these types of emotions through rock. I wish I could understand ATS but I can’t.
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Also not my favorite. It has some good songs. But i prefer older albums.
That’s what interested me. So many different taste on the LP albums.
Yep me to! That’s why i chose that album. I felt in love with LP with that album!
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I’m glad I did this vote, it was the highlight of my lockdown to see these unexpected results! 
I’m not even lying. I’d love to know more why most people like ATS but at least we have a clear winner. Also, 3 tied for second place!!! 
@Lilyope thank you for voting for Living Things - one of my favourite albums 
In recognition of the winning album:
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If the question would have been, what is the best album, not my favourite, I would have voted also for A Thousand Suns.
I just think this is a masterpiece as a whole, the theme, the music, the songs, the ending with the Messenger, the cover that could be the atomic explosion and the piece dove.
Perfect artwork to me.
Just my opinion, no need to argue against it. 
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That’s an interesting take actually.
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A Thousand Suns stands out for me because of the body of work as a whole. LP took a different approach to this album in the sense that, yes the guitars are still there, but they didn’t need to use them to achieve “that” sound. There are many layers of sounds and synthesizers in these songs, and it takes the listener on a musical journey from the jump.
In addition to that, the visual aspect of the art and the lyrics in the packaging really just puts this over the top for me.
On a side note, now you guys got me watching more interviews from this era.
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Yes yes yes same!
It was so hard for me to choose, between all of them, because every album is different and so are the reasons why they are important to me.
For example, i feel guilty for not choosing Living Things, bc that was the album that got me into LP, and Songs like Powerless or In my Remains or Roads Untravelled really touch me.
Hybrid Theory and Meteora are masterpieces as well, but i listened to them later in my “becoming a Linkin Park fan -history” so they don’t feel as close as the other albums.
OML isn’t my favourite, even though some songs on it are favourites, it’s not that i dislike it, but i just love the other ones more, and OML is also sometimes hard for me to listen to, so i don’t do it that often.
Then it was choosing between MTM, ATS and THP.
THP, it’s just so so good, it’s needed in the world of music, but then, it’s not as important as the other ones for me, also lyrically.
I almost chose MTM, i think that’s their best album, but then not my favourite.(-but so close) Best, because i think this one was the most difficult, most different album for them to make(from the process, that was the point when they decided that EVERYONE had the right to make decisions and give their opinion, and every opinion was equally valuable- the best and hardest thing they could’ve done at that time-, and also how they approached the way they wanted to make it:
" This album is different for us on a deeper level.
We wanted to create something that maintained the integrity of the band’s personality, but pushed our boundaries.
This album defines not only what we set out to create,but who we’ve become as a band.").
But i chose ATS as my favourite, bc, as also others already said, it is a perfect artwork, i like that they approached it differently, created a concept album that doesn’t let you go,
it confronts and comforts you at the same time.
songs like When they come for me, Robot boy, Iridescent, The Messenger are incredible to me, how can someone create such wonderful songs?
I don’t think i knew the feeling before, of loving a song so much that when you listen to it, it feels like you are part of it, or, it’s hard to describe, like if there exist only the song and you and your emotions, and that’s the only thing that is important, and for a moment everything makes sense, even though you don’t understand everything, but you don’t even need to understand.
But again, it’s the same with if i had to choose a favourite song, i love them all and can’t imagine my life and the band’s life without one of these.
And interesting to read everyone’s thoughts and their choices!
Is that where your ‘motto’ “LOVE is what matters the most” comes from? 
And yeah, the album wouldn’t be the album without this song at the end.
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Good to hear your views and everyone’s on this. I did listen to ATS last night and there’s too many songs I end up skipping because I just don’t like them enough. It’s also eerie and apocalyptic, and that puts me off unless I was listening to the album during an epic sci-fi movie. Then I would love it.
The best album is the one that’s the most successful. “Hybrid Theory is one of the highest-selling albums in recorded history. Not just rock albums, either - all albums, ever.” Even Reanimation beats ATS in sales. There is no argument there.
It’s not very easy to choose, like both ATS and Meteora are special to me in their own ways.
Even though I’ve been listening to LP from a very young age (thanks dad!), Meteora was the album that made me a fan if you want to call it that. It was the first album that made me go “WHOA” and it still does to this day whenever I play it. It also holds 2 of my absolute favourite songs in the world; Numb and SIB.
ATS is a whole different story. I consider it a masterpiece. I consider it one of the best concept albums in the world (and I do believe it’s best if you listen to it from beginning to end, it’s a journey). The craftsmanship and musicianship behind it are insane. I wish we had a better look at how it was created, it’s purely incredible. I won’t even start talking about Dave and Mike’s skills and talents, you all know how good they are, but damn, I don’t think a lot of people actually realise how good and appreciate them.
ATS was also the first album that made me have an emotional breakdown over a song for the very first time and made realise some things about myself and life in general, so it is very dear to me. In addition, with this album I started to get way into music even more than before, it was around 2010 that I began researching everything related to the music business and how it works, especially the live/tour aspects of the industry. I’ve learnt so much because of this band, they have literally shaped who am I and what I do at this point of my life.
I have favourites from every album and their respective cycles but I will always come back to ATS no matter what.
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Really nice to read this
I guess that ATS is probably the second most controversial (after OML) album by LP, isn’t it?
I know it’s unconventional, it takes up an important problem and so on. But it shouldn’t be an intelectual choice I hope. I couldn’t vote for ATS for some reasons:
- ATS is not the album that I listen to most frequently as a whole. I really love some ATS songs. But I’m not a big fan of sampling speeches. Also it’s the album that contains the only 2 songs by LP that I don’t like: Robot Boy and The Messenger.
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I can’t say I realised ATS was controversial. It was probably the album that lost most hybrid fans because we’d waited long enough and at that point gave up. The Hunting Party did bring it back but then we had OML… so ups and downs. I guess that’s what keeps Linkin Park interesting and why they keep building new fans. Very smart industry tactics but not necessarily making groundbreaking music anymore.
@zanybelle A Thousand Suns barely made my pick. I think in terms of strength, Meteora beats it for sure, but something about ATS draws me in. Robot Boy and The Messenger speak to my soul, When They Come for Me challenges me to accept what Linkin Park wants to do other than Hybrid Theory and Meteora, Waiting for the End wants me to move on from my own past, and so on.
@Linkineli Hey, nice! I love ATS, but man, settling on it for the poll’s answer was so hard. As much as I’m second-guessing myself, I still want to be loyal to my answer.
- Living Things has Castle of Glass, which has great personal meaning to me. The rest of the album also kinda feels overlooked to me, but yeah, there are other albums I like way more than it.
- Hybrid Theory was the first Linkin Park album that I bought in full. It was there for me on a lot of frustrating commutes to frustrating days at work, so it feels like a friend.
- Meteora is arguably the best Linkin Park album because it felt like the perfect balance of the band’s early core values: rock, electronic, hip-hop, and anger. Even if I’m not in love with a track or two, there’s always something about those tracks that I absolutely love. Meteora’s in my top four for sure.
- One More Light is my least favorite album, but not because I hate it. I too like the preceding albums more.
- The Hunting Party was a good move on Linkin Park’s part, but I can’t help but feel like something’s missing. I can’t put my finger on it.
- Minutes to Midnight is very close to being my favorite. Not a song on there I dislike. I like to see it as the beginning of a journey into the great unknown (kinda like with Leave Out All the Rest’s spaceship in the music video) and you know Linkin Park wouldn’t be the same by the end of the trek. It still felt like Linkin Park, but their clothes were different, for lack of a better term.
As for ATS, all the songs you listed are important to me too, in addition to others. I know they aren’t singing about me, but the songs still resonate with me so deeply. It’s hard not to appreciate the songs.
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I don’t think they ever made albums with thoughts like that in mind. They always did what felt true to themselves, they made sure they liked it before putting it out.
It might be a nice side–effect for them,getting various people interested in their music, but i am very sure that they never made the music for getting that, for getting more money.
Amazing words, you put my thoughts into words. ATS is the album where i feel that the most, they don’t even know about me but they know my feelings, put my fears into words, and it feels like they are speaking to me.
Also nice to read your thoughts on the other albums!
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That’s interesting because I never quite understood why after hearing Hybrid Theory and Meteora anyone would vote for anything else. What are your thoughts on Reanimation btw?
Actually, I really appreciate Living Things. I feel like I can understand what they were trying to do with this album and it feels more organic and relatable than ATS. There are also elements of the earlier LP sound e.g. In My Remains and Powerless wouldn’t be misplaced on Meteora.
I feel the same way about Hybrid Theory. I couldn’t not vote for it.
I get that feeling too, it is almost overpoweringly alive musically but lyrically it doesn’t hit as hard as Hybrid Theory or Meteora which seem effortlessly emotive (e.g. Crawling, Breaking The Habit).
No but their record company did and many times to stay alive in the market you have to forgo your true passion. Even Chester talked about missing making rock music and it was clear this was always his true passion. OML is probably the most evident of their move towards industry trends as the album is very similar to other music in 2017. They also outsourced a lot of writing so I would say this album was purely about keeping a presence in the market rather than a passion for music. At the end of the day, if they don’t make money they don’t make a living.
Just because you tell this over and over again, it’s still nothing more then your opinion on this matter.
And I strongly differ.
. 