Mike Shinoda On The Anniversary Edition Of Hybrid Theory: "I Didn't Want It To Be Sad… I Think We Managed To Gauge It Right"

Following on from the release of Linkin Park's incredible 20th anniversary edition of Hybrid Theory, Mike Shinoda has opened up about his thoughts on the timing of the box set, explaining that he was worried it might be too soon after the death of Chester Bennington in 2017.

"I didn't want it to be sad, was part of the problem," he tells STROMBO on Apple Music Hits. "I was like, 'It's too early to do this. Is it going to be sad for people?'

"I think we managed to gauge it right," he continues. "People have been celebrating the hell out of this album this month. And if you look at the chart position of this, it's a re-release box set and went Number One in Australia… It's been well received in a lot of places, which we're so grateful for.

Read this: The secret history of Linkin Park’s Hybrid Theory, in their own words

"I felt like this timing, it can be a really nice moment to reflect on the journey and have it be celebratory," he says.

Discussing the loss of Chester, Mike continues, "Linkin Park being part of all of our DNA, when that got fractured and taken apart, in a sense, I don't think anybody could really understand. Because you can't relate that to anything else. It's not family, it's not friends, it's not brotherhood, it's not business. It's all of those things wrapped together.

"I don't think any of us are at liberty or would even be capable of explaining it to anybody," he says. "You couldn't even get a therapist and be like, 'Okay, here's what I feel or here's what's going on,' and whatever. You could spend years on it, and still not crack the surface of what the meaning of all that emotional information is, I feel like."

Listen to the full interview below:

For more Hybrid Theory, watch Mike, Joe Hahn and Brad Delson chat through each track on the record:

Read this: Every song on Linkin Park’s Hybrid Theory, ranked from worst to best