Linkin Park has reunited after a 7-year hiatus, announcing a new album and tour and releasing a new single.
Releasing its first music since singer Chester Bennington’s 2017 suicide, the band also has a new lineup. Emily Armstrong, co-founder of the band Dead Sara, will be the new co-vocalist, and Colin Brittain, a songwriter and producer for G Flip, Illenium, and One OK Rock, will be the new drummer. Mike Shinoda, Phoenix Hahn, Joe Hahn, and Brad Delson will return to the band to complete the lineup.
Drummer Rob Bourdon “has decided to step away,” a band representative told the AP.
Linkin Park’s new album “From Zero”
Linkin Park’s new single, “The Emptiness Machine,” is the first to feature the new look lineup. In a live-streamed event in Los Angeles on Thursday, Mike Shinoda said, “This is a very special day for us,” announcing the new members and the new album “From Zero,” which will be released November 15. Before performing, Mike Shinoda said to the crowd, “In the role of Chester Bennington this afternoon is each of you.”
Mike Shinoda said in a statement, “Before Linkin Park, our first band name was Xero. This album title refers to both this humble beginning and the journey we’re currently undertaking. Sonically and emotionally, it is about past, present, and future — embracing our signature sound, but new and full of life. It was made with a deep appreciation for our new and longtime bandmates, our friends, our family, and our fans. We are proud of what Linkin Park has become over the years, and excited about the journey ahead.”
According to a press release acquired by Variety, the band’s former members “quietly began meeting up again in recent years,” and after working with several artists, they found their partnership with Armstrong and Brittain to be the best.
Regarding the new band members, Shinoda said, “We feel really empowered with this new lineup and the vibrant and energized new music we’ve made together. We’re weaving together the sonic touchpoints we’ve been known for and still exploring new ones.”
Linkin Park stopped making music following the suicide of singer Chester Bennington, who passed just after they released their album “One More Light.” While they stopped making music, the band hasn’t been entirely inactive. They released a 20th anniversary album with their greatest hits titled “Papercuts.”
Their upcoming stadium tour will be held in six major cities: Los Angeles, New York, Hamburg, London, Seoul, and Bogota. Pre-sale tickets for the upcoming tour will be available to the Linkin Park Underground fan club on September 6, and General Sales will begin on September 7.
