Korn didn't do it. Neither did Limp Bizkit or Creed or even Nickelback. But Linkin Park has scored three consecutive No. 1 albums.
That's after the Los Angeles rap-rock band's biggest album, the 10-million-selling "Hybrid Theory," peaked at No. 2 in 2000. Linkin Park's sound has continued to evolve: 2003's "Meteora" got heavier, 2007's "Minutes to Midnight" delved into brooding electronica and 2010's "A Thousand Suns" sounds even more moody and experimental.
Singer Chester Bennington and rapper Mike Shinoda talked about their new album.
Q: You have two frontmen and four other guys in the band. Explain your working relationship.
Shinoda: I think when it comes to the stuff behind the scenes, the whole band sees itself as a collective of equals, and Chester and I only play frontmen when it's time to take photos or stand onstage. We're not trying to grab the reins and tell everybody what to do. We respect each other's ideas and we're also not afraid to speak our minds.
Q: "A Thousand Suns" seems quite experimental, which possibly turned off some fans. What was your thinking?
Bennington: This is the first time we really have gotten into the idea of what we would like the entire album to feel like. Usually we work on songs individually, and we do what's best for the song. We wanted to have a vibe, we wanted the album to be presented as a piece of art as a whole rather than a collection of songs. I never really thought about what people would think of a track or how they would feel about the new direction. I know the die-hard fans of Linkin Park are really open-minded to what we do and sometimes it takes people a while to digest the new music.
Q: What's the future of Mike's Fort Minor project?
