A 100-hour countdown and another week of waiting later, it is now certain: Linkin Park are celebrating their comeback at their fan event in Los Angeles.
In addition to the band’s first live performance since 2017, there is probably the most exciting news right at the start: Emily Armstrong is now an official member of Linkin Park. The singer has previously played in the band Dead Sara since 2002. A new person is also taking the place of drummer Rob Bourdon: Colin Brittain has previously worked as a producer for G Flip, Illenium and One Ok Rock.
With the announcement of their new members, Linkin Park also gives their fans new music: “The Emptiness Machine” is the name of the band’s new single, which simultaneously ushers in a new era. With the release of the guitar-focused single, the band announces their new studio album “From Zero”, which will be released on November 15th. It can already be pre-ordered become.
The band also announced an entertaining world tour, which will start in the next few days. A show in Germany is also planned: On September 22nd, Linkin Park will play at the Barclays Arena in Hamburg.
Frontman Mike Shinoda on the new era: “Before we became Linkin Park, our first band name was Xero. The album title refers both to that time when we took our first steps as nobodies and to the journey we are now embarking on. Sonically and emotionally, it’s about the past, present and future – we stay true to our signature sound, but everything is new and full of life. And it’s driven by deep appreciation for our new and long-time bandmates, our friends, our family and our fans. We are proud of what Linkin Park has become over the years and look forward to the journey that lies ahead.”
Armstrong is now taking the place of Chester Bennington. The band’s long-time frontman took his own life in 2017. After his death, the remaining band members played a tribute concert in honor of Bennington. Otherwise, things have been rather quiet for the band in recent years: a comprehensive reissue of their breakthrough album “Hybrid Theory” was released in 2021, the reissue of “Meteora” followed in 2023, and the band’s first greatest hits compilation, “Papercuts,” was released in April 2024. Linkin Park’s last regular studio album to date was “One More Light” in 2017.
Rumors of a comeback by the band have been persistent since the beginning of 2024, and rumors of a female singer at the helm of the band have also been fueled for several months. At the end of August, the band first referred to an imminent announcement with a 100-hour countdown. However, nothing happened when the countdown ended, and only when the 100-hour mark was reached again did the band officially announce an event for this Thursday and share a first excerpt from a music video, as well as a short sound snippet.
While the remaining band members had gone quiet except for sporadic social media posts and appearances for the release of the reissues, frontman Mike Shinoda had continued to make solo music: in 2018, his solo album “Post Traumatic” was released, on which he dealt with the death of Bennington, among other things. In the following years, Shinoda released several EPs and singles, most recently “In My Head” and “Already Over” last year. VISIONS spoke to Shinoda about his future ambitions at the time in an interview in November 2023.
Linkin Park – “From Zero”
Linkin Park – From Zero
01. “From Zero (Intro)”
02. “The Emptiness Machine”
03. “Cut The Bridge”
04. “Heavy Is The Crown”
05. “Over Eath Other”
06. “Casualty”
07. “Overflow”
08. “Two Faced”
09. “Stained”
10. “WORSHIP”
11. “Good Things Go”
Live: Linkin Park
22. September Hamburg – Barclays Arena
