S Poddar
Recently, Mike Shinoda sat down and thought about what was going through his mind when the remaining members of Linkin Park opted to keep their name after the heavy changes that hit their lineup. Even as the lineup had changed, shifting into a different configuration, the band could not let go of its origins-an attachment too precious to be lost by changing its identity.
Last week, it was announced that Linkin Park was making a comeback, and that headline ran into several reports. The lineup now includes vocalist Emily Armstrong and drummer Colin Brittain, in addition to long-time members Mike Shinoda, Dave ‘Phoenix’ Farrell, Joe Hahn, and Brad Delson. Off of their new album From Zero, this is the band’s first album since 2017’s One More Light, the last to feature the late vocalist Chester Bennington.
These fans are waiting to see the band on an upcoming world tour. Linkin Park is scheduled to perform from September to November 2024 in six of the largest arenas in the world, including Los Angeles, London, and Seoul.
In a recent interview with Q101, a Chicago radio station, Shinoda spoke transparently about the thought process behind keeping the band’s name. While the band was certainly open to new directions and collaborations that may have led to a different name, this was only so for a short period of time. “In the middle of the process, we were open to, like, maybe the lineup is like a moving lineup, maybe there’s multiple vocalists, maybe it’s a different name,” Shinoda said.
But as the music took form, it wasn’t long before the band realized just how much the new album was sounding like their original work. “It’s so Linkin Park that if we call it something else, then we are idiots,” Shinoda said. “It would be like misrepresentation. It’d be silly. And when people hear more of the album, they will understand that.”
The band’s decision to entitle the new album From Zero is equally symbolic. Shinoda explained the name refers back to the band’s earlier days when they were known as Xero. Having evolved through Hybrid Theory, they’d eventually settle on Linkin Park. This serves as both a fresh start and a nod to the past. “So the name of the album is a double entendre. It’s us starting over, but it’s also us kind of being in touch with the things we loved back then,” he said.
Shinoda has teased fans about the new album, promising an energetic release full of “a lot of guitars.” But anticipation has only mounted as Linkin Park enters this new phase with Armstrong on vocals.
However, word of Armstrong’s addition to the band hasn’t come without controversy. Within hours of the news, social media went wild with accusations tying Armstrong to Scientology and Danny Masterson, the actor who had just been convicted of rape. This got a lot of people concerned, but Armstrong went to Instagram to keep things straight. She said in the post that she was wrong to have ill-judged a fellow she described as a friend and who has stated, “To say it as clearly as possible: I do not condone abuse or violence against women, and I stand in solidarity with the victims of these crimes.”
Through the tumult, Armstrong has, at every opportunity, spoken of her respect for the late work of Chester Bennington. She has made it quite well known that the role of lead singer isn’t one she takes lightly, even outwardly wishing to honor him, going so far as to say she’d like to make him proud with her contributions to the band.
As Linkin Park gets ready to move ahead with their new album and tour, the fans are there, waiting to see what this next chapter unfolds. Their classic sound and energy remain intact but with fresh voices and perspectives; in turn, the band is set to take over the globe once again. Despite some of the challenges they faced and changes they had to make along the way, Linkin Park has remained, at its core, the same band grounded by the idea of pushing the limits, making music that deeply resonated with their audience
