Linkin Park reunite with new music 7 years after Chester Bennington’s death

NEW YORK (AP) — Linkin Park is back with a new lineup and presents its first new music since the death of lead singer Chester Bennington in 2017.

On Thursday, the band launched a livestream introducing new singer Emily Armstrong and drummer Colin Brittain, who join returning members Mike Shinoda, Brad Delson, Phoenix and Joe Hahn. Shinoda and Armstrong will share vocals. The new lineup released the single “The Emptiness Machine” and announced a new album called “From Zero.” It’s out November 15.

The rock-rap band was one of the most commercially successful acts of the 2000s thanks to Bennington’s vocals. At age 41, he committed suicide shortly after the release of the group’s final album, One More Light. In the years since, Linkin Park has issued a series of reissues, including 20th anniversary editions of Hybrid Theory, Meteora, and this year’s career-spanning greatest hits collection Papercuts.

“Before Linkin Park, our first band name was Xero. This album title refers to both that humble beginning and the journey we are currently taking,” Shinoda said in a statement about the upcoming release.

Armstrong comes from alt-rock band Dead Sara and Brittain is a songwriter and producer who has worked with Papa Roach, One OK Rock and All Time Low, among others. He replaces original drummer Rob Bourdon, who “has decided to exit,” a band representative told The Associated Press.

“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 by this new lineup and the vibrant and energetic new music we’ve made together. We’re weaving together the sonic touchpoints we’re known for while still exploring new ones.”

The band also announced the “From Zero World Tour,” which includes five arena shows this month in Los Angeles, New York, Hamburg (Germany), London and Seoul, and a sixth in November in Bogotá (Colombia).

Tracklist of “From Zero”:

1. From Zero (Intro)

2. The Machine of Emptiness

3. Cut the bridge

4. The crown is heavy

5. One on top of the other

6. Accident

7. Overflow

8. Two faces

9. Tainted

10. IGYEIH

11. Good things come