Like what? The same tired power chords and drop D stuff everyone else is doing, or the turntable wicky-wickies and samples that everyone else is doing, or the basic verse/chorus/verse structure? That's not special. High school bands can do that. The fact that they were teenagers when this started proves that. They've just got a hype machine behind them. If anything, that album is negative five stars, in every objective sense it can be viewed. God that band is awful.
Yeah, but they were a step above the rest in doing it.
Above what?
Being as shittier than any other band currently present at the time, and is still is now. These albums being released in the past 5-10 years that had the commercial success, might not be going down as the most pinnicle albums ever. Hybrid Theory had tons of airplay, got a good success, but its not going to be held as Dark Side of the Moon or Revolver, or even Number of the Beast and Blizzard of Ozz. Linkin Park will be just another one of those fad bands that we will look back and realize that there are many idiots out there buying the music, and realizing 15 years from now, what a mistake I bought buying the album.
They aren't new, or revolutionary. They are on the pop-wagon mobile, and just waiting to get tossed off.