LINKIN PARK talks about the absence of long-time drummer ROB BOURDON, the new singer and the decision to come back

Unless you have been living under a rock for the last 24 hours, you know LinkinPark is back. LinkinPark recruited Dead Sara Singer Emily Armstrong to lead the new line-up of the band, which will release its new album “From Zero” on November 15th.

So how did it happen LinkinPark Comeback after the death of the legendary singer Chester Bennington? In a long interview with Billboard, LinkinPark Bassist Dave “Phoenix” Farrell said it took some time for him to feel right again. Farrell noted that Armstrong and new drummer Colin Brittain make LinkinPark whole again and he feels strengthened by the new band community.

“It’s so much fun to look at it from this perspective now, but in the middle of it we didn’t know where it was going to go. I really didn’t know if it was going to be something completely different than LinkinPark or a new version of it. In my head, I would shut down and ask myself, “OK, if this is new stuff, how do you play old stuff?”

“microphone (Shinoda) spoke earlier about making music (after Bennington‘s death) — I was the opposite. For a long time I thought, “I don’t want to make music. It hurts. I want to avoid that.” It took me a while to get to a point where I felt that it was actually stimulating. And that was the turning point for me, from “Is it LinkinPark‘Is it something else?’ Emily feels like LinkinPark, Colin feels like LinkinPark. The six of us working together and figuring things out – that gives me energy and I want to keep doing it. It was like charging a battery instead of discharging it.”

Shinoda He later explained the decision as LinkinPark And how From zero came together. Shinoda added that he originally wanted LinkinPark to do a few shows with different singers, but Farrell spoke out against the idea because it was a half-comeback for the band.

“As the songs took shape, the DNA of the band was really heavily influenced by that body of work. To call it anything else would be weird and misleading. We teach our kids that when you fall down, you have to get back up and try again, right? The idea that we’re doing something different with this group of people and the sound of this music feels like resignation in some ways. I hate to say ‘cowardly,’ but it would be like hedging a bet.

“I think at the very beginning I just punched the air and thought, ‘If we do a few shows or something, then maybe a few people will do the vocals.’ Because we hadn’t quite decided on a new line-up yet and I didn’t have too high expectations of Emily. But it was a real thought: “Maybe there are a lot of people on stage.”

“And then Dave was one of the first to say, “I don’t want to do anything half-heartedly. If we’re going to do something, let’s do it boldly. If people don’t like it, so what? As long as we like it and we’re confident, let’s be bold!” And that’s what we did, and that’s one of the reasons why I felt so empowered when recording the album – to say, “This is a LinkinPark Song.’

Shinoda also discussed the absence of the drummer Rob Bourdonplayed for LinkinPark during her career and even before, when she was still Xero. Bourdon just wanted some distance between himself and LinkinParkand eventually withdrew from the band.

“Robbery had told us at some point, I think it was a few years ago now, that he wanted to put some distance between himself and the band. And we understood that – it was obvious even then. He started to show himself less, to have less contact, and I know that the fans noticed that too. The Hybrid theory Re-publication and Paper cuts He didn’t show up for anything when he was discharged. It was sad for me as a friend, but at the same time I want him to do what makes him happy and of course everyone wishes him the best.

“I had meetings with Colin — I met him around 2021 when I got an invitation to a session with a few different authors, and Colin was one of the guys in the room, and I hit it off with him right away. He plays drums in the live show, and drums are his first instrument, but he plays guitar, bass, and keyboard, and he produces and mixes. We have a similar view of music, starting from scratch, and I really enjoyed working with him and bouncing ideas around.

“I don’t know if any of these songs will be released, but we had something with grandson, Bea Miller, Sueco — just come into the room together to do things. And then, when LinkinPark started doing things, no matter what we were doing, it was just like, ‘Oh, Colin. We’re doing things. You should come over.'”

Read the full interview here.