I was never into the heavy metal scene until my daysstarted to sour, thanks to a drop in my academic performance.

It beganinnocently, when I started to use Napster to acquire MP3's. My playlist eruptedwith a new genre: alternative. R&B and hip-hop songs started being replacedby the often loud and expressful songs of A New Found Glory, Incubus, Fuel, andAlien Ant Farm. I looked to heavy metal for support, and discovered Linkin Park.

I do admit that UCLA alumni Brad Delson and Dave Ferrell, the physicallygifted lead vocalist and guitarist, respectively, had a bit to do with my firstattraction to this band. Their forceful tunes, though, is what made me asupporter for life. In addition to writing their own lyrics, Linkin Park takes adifferent approach from the typical rock band. Fiery lyrics permeate "HybridTheory," sans vulgarity. Their hit single, "One Step Closer,"climbed the Billboard charts and made itself comfortable at the top for severalweeks. The song is perfectly suited to a teenager with angst.

The onlydrawback to Linkin Park is that its songs may be deemed inappropriate to thesoft-eared parent because their intensity is rather boisterous.

LinkinPark is fresh with talent and free will. The band is completed by vocalistsChester Bennington and Mike Shinoda, drummer Rob Bourdon, and DJ Joe Hahn.

This isn't a band heaped to-gether to perform a strong single, then toabruptly dissolve into the land of one-hit wonders. One of my favorite tracks is"Papercut." Aside from the colorful brashness of heavy metal, it has aleisurely flow of lyrics.

"Points of Authority" provideslisteners with a relatively simple beat that lends itself to assertive remarks."Crawling" is another great cut that goes beyond conformist measures byhaving a rather subtle and non-threatening techno introduction, accompaniedimmediately by blaring screams.

So, perhaps the next time you're scouringfor MP3's, or enter your favorite music store, the thoughts of paper cuts and acure for an itch should linger in your brain long enough to remind you thatLinkin Park is worth obtaining.