If you’re a dedicated nu metal and/or rock fan or simply loved listening to hard rock of the early 2000s, then you’d be happy to know that Linkin Park is back! For the first time in seven long years, the decorated rock band took to the stage and performed their hearts out while making some massive announcements to boot.
Last week, the band hosted a special, hour-long concert exclusive to those who’re part of the LPU (Linkin Park Underground), the band’s official fan club. There, the band’s vocalist/rhythm guitarist/keyboardist and longest-lasting member, Mike Shinoda, debuted their new frontwoman, Emily Armstrong. But that’s not the only piece of news we’ve gotten, as the band dropped repeated bombshells that we will unpack today.
From Zero
During their hour-long concert, the band sang a lot of classic and fan favourite Linkin Park songs like, “Waiting For The End,” “The Catalyst,” “Numb,” and so much more. But one of them is not like the other, and that’s “The Emptiness Machine,” the band’s newest single with Emily Armstrong, which will also be a part of their upcoming album “From Zero.”
Being a comeback album, to say there are a lot of implications to it, would be a major understatement. As the name of the albums suggests, the band will be starting back from the very beginning, as it will be their first release since 2017’s “One More Light,” which was its last studio album which featured the late Chester Bennington. Chester’s death sent massive shockwaves that were felt all over the world, as his passing came suddenly and without warning, which left a devastating blow to his family, friends, and fans.
Mike Shinoda was the first to talk about his grief and used it as his inspiration for the creation of his solo album “Post Traumatic,” which was released back in 2018. “From Zero” will most likely follow that route of picking themselves up and starting from scratch, while delivering those hardcore rock and metal songs that long-time fans fell in love with.
After much digging on our part, here is the tracklist of the highly-anticipated album:
- From Zero (Intro)
- The Emptiness Machine
- Cut The Bridge
- Heavy Is The Crown
- Over Each Other
- Casualty
- Overflow
- Two Faced
- Stained
- IGYEIH
- Good Things Go
It is unclear which of these songs, aside from “The Emptiness Machine,” are singles and if they will receive any early releases. But we can look forward to the album’s full release on 15th November.
Concert Dates!
At the same time they were rocking their hearts out, the band announced that they’ll hold a world tour kicking off on 11th September at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles, with their last stop being on 11th November at the Coliseo Medplus in Bogota, Colombia. Yup, concerts are just around the corner, but as far as world tours are concerned, this is a very short time window with a short list of destinations. This is largely due to the fact that they are planning to complete this concert run in time for their latest album’s release.
Regardless, if you’re looking to catch the band in their first ever tour after seven years, you can check out the following dates:.
- 11th September, 2024 | Kia Forum – Los Angeles, CA
- 16th September, 2024 | Barclays Center – New York, NY
- 22nd September, 2024 | Barclays Arena – Hamburg, Germany
- 24th September, 2024 | The O2 – London, UK
- 28th September, 2024 | INSPIRE Arena – Seoul, South Korea
- 11th November, 2024 | Coliseo Medplus – Bogota, Colombia
To make up for the short list of dates, Mike Shinoda promised that they will be “touring heavily” in 2025. We’re just hoping they swing by Malaysia again. But if you were to catch them live, this year or the next, you might’ve noticed that someone is missing, and it’s not Chester.
Rob Bourdon’s Exit & Brad Delson’s Absence
Aside from Emily Armstrong, Mike Shinoda also took the time to introduce the band’s new drummer in the form of Colin Brittain. As the title states, the band’s long-time drummer, Rob Bourdon, has left Linkin Park – news that came out of nowhere to most people, but it’s a detail that perhaps eagle-eyed fans might have spotted a mile away.
Since the death of Bennington in 2017, Bourdon has been appearing less and less. The former drummer played no part in the band’s promotional activities for the 2020 “Hybrid Theory” re-release or the 2024 compilation album “Papercuts,” and obviously did not come back for their recent concert last week.
In an interview with Billboard, Mike Shinoda shed some light on the situation as to why Rob Bourdon is no longer with the band.
“Rob had said to us at a point, I guess it was a few years ago now, that he wanted to put some distance between himself and the band,” Mike Shinoda explained. “And we understood that — it was already apparent. He was starting to just show up less, be in less contact, and I know the fans noticed it too. The ‘Hybrid Theory’ re-release and ‘Papercuts’ release, he didn’t show up for anything. So for me, as a friend, that was sad, but at the same time, I want him to do whatever makes him happy, and obviously everybody wishes him the best.”
In that same interview, he mentioned how their latest drummer, Colin Brittain, was holding up and how he interacts with the other members.
“He’s playing drums in the live show, and drums are his first instrument, but he plays guitar and bass and keyboard, and he produces and mixes. We have a similar way of looking at music, of starting from scratch, and I really enjoyed working with him and bouncing ideas back-and-forth. I don’t know if any of these songs are going to be released, but we had done something with grandson, Bea Miller, Sueco — just getting in the room together to make stuff. And then when Linkin Park started making stuff, for whatever we were going to do, it was just like, ‘Oh, Colin. We’re making stuff. You should come over.’”
Of course, Rob Bourdon isn’t the only one absent, as the band’s lead guitarist, Brad Delson, is nowhere to be seen. But unlike Rob Bourdon, he isn’t leaving the band. During the concert, the band introduced Alex Feder, Linkin Park’s lead guitarist for now. He will also be the band’s lead guitarist for their upcoming world tour.
Following the reunion tour, Brad Delson went on social media to post a heartwarming message to the band and to the fans. In a short but sweet post, the musician shared his pride from his previous work with the band, expressing his admiration for the latest members and their recent performances, and a brief line stating that he will not be a part of this recent wave of tours while introducing his “deputy” that will carry on until his return.
When the time comes, Brad Delson will take his spot back as lead guitarist, but until then, he will be working behind the scenes. As to when he will return is unclear, but we will all look forward to it all the same.
Sources: Rayo, Vulture, Associated Press News, Billboard,
