It took 18 long months to complete “Meteora,” but it was well worth the wait.

With the release of its sophomore album, Linkin Park felt the pressure of not living up to its debut release, “Hybrid Theory.” With hard work and long hours spent perfecting it, Linkin Park has made this a remarkable album.

“We just wanted to make another great album that we’re proud of,” drummer Rob Bourdon said on the Linkin Park Web site (www.linkinpark.com). “We focused on that, and worked hard to create songs we love. We’re our own harshest critics.”

Linkin Park didn’t miss a thing with this album. The emotions of the lyrics are felt throughout the whole album. The two vocalists, Chester Bennington and Mike Shinoda, work so amazingly well together that it is clear the album will be a huge success.

“Mike is a computer whiz, and a formally trained musician,” DJ Joseph Hahn said on the Web site. “Chester brings the rawness – the emotion that needs to come out. They compliment each other that way. It’s a true yin-yang thing.”

The first single off the album is “Somewhere I Belong.” Radio listeners are hooked easily to this song because of the catchy chorus of “I want to heal/ I want to feel/ What I thought was never real/ I want to let go of the pain I’ve held so long.” The song opens the public to the new, more lyrically stimulating side of Linkin Park.

“Nobody’s Listening” is one of the highlights of this release. The song is just pure hip-hop. LP brilliantly sampled a Japanese flute called a shakuhachi, which makes this song one of the more creative hip-hop songs of its time.

“Breaking the Habit” is another brilliant track off “Meteora.” Bennington’s voice pulls you into the beat, which is a mixture of strings as well as other things. Musically, this song is as good as it gets, but it’s the lyrical content that really sets it apart.

The only downfall of this album is that it is a measly 37 minutes long. But besides the length, this album is amazing.

Linkin Park has raised the bar with this album. If anything, this album is too impressive.