Linkin Park returns with an album, tour and new singer seven years after the suicide of its vocalist

The suicide of vocalist Chester Bennington made many fans think that they would never again have the chance to hear the American band Linkin Park. But after a forced seven-year break, the group announced on Thursday that it will be making a comeback with an album, an international tour and a new vocalist, Emily Armstrong, in its ranks.

“The sound of this new era encompasses the past, present and future, embracing our recognizable groove, but fresh and full of life. We created it with a deep appreciation for our new and old bandmates, our friends, family and fans. We are proud of what Linkin Park has become over the years, and look forward to the journey ahead,” explains Mike Shinoda, also a composer, vocalist and guitarist about the first song published with Armstrong (Los Angeles, 1986): The Emptiness Machinefor which they have already released a new video.

The reunion had therefore been brewing for a long time. So much so that Linkin Park’s new album, From Zero (From Scratch), will go on sale on November 15, while the international tour will begin next week, on September 11, in Los Angeles, Live Nation announced in a statement. The world tour From Zerowhich will cross three continents in two weeks, will continue on September 16 at the Barclays Center in New York; on the 22nd at the Barclays Arena in Hamburg (Germany); on the 24th at The O2 in London, and on the 28th at the Inspire Arena in Seoul (South Korea). On November 11 they will perform at the Coliseo MedPlus in Bogotá. Pre-sales are now accessible on the group’s website.

This surprise announcement marks a “new era” following the death in 2017 of the band’s leader, Chester Bennington, and after the other four members, friends since their youth, began to get together again in recent years. At these meetings, they invited other friends to their studio and “found a special affinity” with Emily Armstrong, from the group Dead Sara, and with drummer Colin Brittain, who replaces Rob Bourdon, with whom they spent more and more hours until they concluded that both would be part of a new Linkin Park, a group that was born in 1996.

“Before Linkin Park, our first name as a band was Xero. The title of this album refers both to this humble beginning and to the path we are currently on,” Shinoda explains. Among other surprises, Linkin Park have released a concert from the new album recorded with an audience at Warner Studios in Burbank (California) in which the harmony of the new formation can be appreciated and in which they reinterpret mythical songs such as In the end, Somewhere I belong, Crawling, Faint either Papercutnow voiced by Armstrong. Shinoda, on stage with his guitar slung over his shoulder, introduces the members by name and role, adding, “And in the role of Chester Bennington, there are all of you.”

On June 22, 2017, Linkin Park gave their last concert in Madrid. The start of their American tour was scheduled for Thursday, July 27, of that year, with a concert in Massachusetts. Their last music video, Talking To Myselfwas released hours before it was announced that Bennington had died, on July 21 of that year, and they even recorded a Carpool Karaoke with James Corden. On October 27, the rest of the band members organized a concert in tribute to their deceased partner.

To look back on this journey and look ahead to what’s to come, the band will also be giving an interview on Apple Music this Friday with host Zane Lowe, “a candid and in-depth conversation about Linkin Park’s incredible legacy, their seven-year journey into new music and their excitement for the future,” says Live Nation’s note.