Linkin Park have announced a new-look lineup, a new album, and a short world tour, set to kick off in Los Angeles next week.
After much teasing – and a countdown timer that left everyone confused – the nu-metal heavyweights have announced a new co-valist to augment Mike Shinoda following Chester Bennington's passing in 2017.
Original members Mike Shinoda, Brad Delson, Phoenix, and Joe Hahn will now see Dead Sara vocalist and rhythm guitarist Emily Armstrong, and producer/drummer Colin Brittain join their ranks, with a new single, The Emptiness Machine, launched today, preceding a full album due November 15.
Shinoda is heavily involved with the vocals on the new track, giving the high-energy tune echoes of how Jerry Cantrell increased his vocal contributions as Alice In Chains made their post-Layne Stayley comeback with Black Gives Way To Blue.
Speaking about the band’s return, Shinoda says: “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.”
He explains that initial meetups with Delson, Phoenix, and Hahn were not designed to “try to restart the band,” but rather rebuild the friendships on which the band was based, having first met in their college years.
That evolved into working with the “world-class talents” of Armstrong and Brittain, making a Linkin Park revival possible.
“The more we worked with Emily and Colin, the more we enjoyed their world-class talents, their company, and the things we created,” asserts Shinoda. “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.”
Meanwhile, in an exclusive interview with Apple Music, Armstrong talks about Linkin Park’s heavy influence on her artistic trajectory and raves about this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. “When I first listened to Linkin Park, Hybrid Theory was my favorite album, and I was starting bands at the time. I was in a band, and that was the moment where I was like, I want to sing and scream One Step Closer,” she recalls.
“I was like, I could do that. And at the time, I wasn't even a good singer. I was a guitar player, and I just loved being in a band and I was [still] like, ‘I could do that.’ So of course, it gets to this point and just being like, this is crazy. So there's definitely that, and obviously, in the side of the feelings and the emotions of it, I would love to do him proud.”
The band will embark on a six-date world tour next week, starting at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles on September 11, with further dates in New York, Hamburg, London, Seoul, and Bogota. Their brand-new album, From Zero, will be released on November 15.
