"Everything you say to me / Takes me one step closer to the edge / And I'm about to break." While those lines are from the radio smash "One Step Closer," the only way Linkin Park has broken is big time. The SoCal band-vocalist Chester Bennington and Mike Shinoda, guitarist Brad Delson, DJ/sampler Joseph Hahn and drummer Rob Bourdon-are riding the wave of their hugely successful Warner Bros. debut, Hybrid Theory, a title which happens to be Linkin Park's original name. It's a suitable designation for the band's record, as Delson explains: "We told our manager, 'Pick a band and we can tour with them.' Our music reaches out in so many directions that's there's pretty much an unlimited amount of cool bands with which we could play." And they'll fit right in with the diverse lineup of Ozzfest 2001. Linkin Park's distinct sound and vibe goes back to high school for Delson and Shinodo, where Delson was also pals with Bourdon. Shinoda soon brought Hahn, who was studying painting at California's Pasadena Art Center, into the fold with Arizona native Bennington completed the lineup. It turns out Bennington's commanding vocal style complemented Shinoda's more streetwise vocal approach, as Delson explains: "I think one of Chester and Mike's goals is to be as integrated as possible. We want our sound to come across so that people go, 'Oh, that's Linkin Park, not, 'I heard this hip-hop part, and now they're hitting me over the head with this rock chorus.' We want everything to have dynamics, but also a continuous, cohesive flavor." They've achieved their goal, as a review on Cdnow.com notes: "The dynamic properties of ['One Step Closer'] and a song such as 'By Myself,' with its blend of smooth raps, melodic vocals, and scorching choruses, reveal Linkin Park as a bright point in the dark, angry recesses of today's heavy rock." As a mainstage mainstay on Ozzfest 2001, fans new and old will tune in to the energy and honesty emanating from Linkin Park. "We try to push real things through in our lyrics," affirms Shinoda, "whether it's feeling insignificant or questioning your own thoughts or discerning the dark side of yourself."