![Papercuts - Limited Edition (Splatter Vinyl) [2LP] on Vinyl by Linkin Park](https://d3fa68hw0m2vcc.cloudfront.net/images/autosize/47945367.jpeg?width=228&height=285&format=jpeg "Papercuts - Limited Edition (Splatter Vinyl) [2LP] on Vinyl by Linkin Park")
In one of the most highly anticipated follow-ups of recent years, Linkin Park maintains its position at the top of the nu-metal heap with METEORA. The band labored carefully over their craft; for instance, the writing process of leadoff single “Somewhere I Belong” spawned 30 finished choruses before vocalists Mike Shinoda and Chester Bennington arrived at the version found on the album. The combination of Shinoda's raps and Bennington's sing/scream vocals makes for an altogether complementary approach, best evidenced in “Faint” and “Easier To Run.”
The pressure felt by Linkin Park to meet a high standard with their sophomore release even finds it's way into the lyrics of “Nobody's Listening,” where self-doubt and fear are almost all-consuming. Producer Don Gilmore (Apex Theory, Blind Tribe) mans the boards with a decisive lean towards acoustic drums. That is not to say by any means that Linkin Park's inventive use of samples and turntables is any less present or crucial to the group's now-signature sound.
