More than seven years after the death of Chester Bennington, Linkin Park is back with a new vocalist and drummer, a new album and the first in a series of major tour dates.
The news was revealed today (9/5) during a private event on the Warner Bros. studio lot, during which singer Emily Armstrong of Dead Sara and drummer Colin Brittain (ILLENIUM, G Flip), replacing original skinsman and Linkin Park co-founder Rob Bourdon, were introduced and made their public performance debut alongside members Mike Shinoda, Brad Delson, Dave "Phoenix" Farrell and Joe Hahn. That set is available to stream on YouTube for 24 hours.
Linkin Park's new single, "The Emptiness Machine," is out now, heralding the 11/15 Warner Records release of FROM ZERO, the band's first new album since 2017's chart-topping One More Light.
The group is wasting no time leveling up its live performances, having announced six upcoming arena shows on extremely short notice at the Forum (9/11), Barclays Center (9/16), Hamburg's Barclays Arena (9/22), London's O2 (9/24), Seoul's INSPIRE Arena (9/28) and, later in the fall, Bogota's Coliseo Medplus (11/11).
Looking ahead, insiders say Linkin Park will tour extensively in 2025, with headlining slots at major festivals already locked in.
Linkin Park is managed by Bill Silva for Bill Silva Management and booked by WME's John Marx and Ron Opaleski in North America and Josh Javor internationally. The upcoming tour will be promoted by Live Nation.
The story goes that Shinoda, Delson, Farrell and Hahn began spending more time together as friends in recent years, with no overt expectations to make music. But they began inviting people to join them in the studio and developed a particularly "special kinship" with Armstong and Brittain, leading to work on FROM ZERO.
"The more we worked with Emily and Colin, the more we enjoyed their world-class talents, their company and the things we created," 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."
In the wake of Bennington's 2017 suicide, Linkin Park kept a fairly low profile until last fall, when it released the vinyl-only Lost Demos collection. That was followed in April by Papercuts (Singles Collection 2000-2023), which included the previously unreleased Bennington-sung "Friendly Fire." The track was a huge hit at rock radio, proving that demand for the band's music is still high.
"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," Shinoda said. "Sonically and emotionally, it's 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."
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