May 19, 2017: the day “One More Light” by Linkin Park was released — the last album the band produced with lead singer, Chester Bennington.
July 6, 2017: the last time a crowd heard Bennington’s voice live.
July 20, 2017: only 14 days after his last performance, Bennington took his own life.
I was 7 years old when it happened. As a little girl, it was my dream to see my favorite band live, and my parents always told me to wait until I was older. Hearing the news about his death, I thought the day I could see them live would never come.
Sept. 5, 2024: everything changed.
Seven years after the band stopped making music, it announced Emily Armstrong would replace Bennington as the lead singer. Along with that came the announcement of the band’s first album, “From Zero,” which was released on Nov. 15, along with the announcement of the first tour, which began on Sept 11.
My parents immediately bought tickets to their concert in Arlington on Nov. 8. We got seats in the first row that wasn’t the pit; the view was incredible. I couldn’t contain my excitement while waiting for them to perform.
The band performed some of my favorite songs, such as “Crawling” and “Given Up.” Armstrong killed every second of it. At first, I was wary about the new singer, but seeing her live showed her true colors and incredible voice. While she is a talented vocalist, she is not the best live performer. Rapper Mike Shinoda carried the performance in terms of crowd interaction and energy.
I was intrigued and confused about the choice to replace Bennington with a female singer; however, she proved to have just as strong of a voice and emotional presence as he did. In “Casualty,” she shows just how well she can scream, and in “Over Each Other,” her emotional vulnerability shines through.
At the concert, they played the debut “Casualty” off of “From Zero” before it was officially released. While singing this song and others from the new album, it was evident Armstong was more comfortable with her own songs rather than the band’s old music.
At the concert, they played the debut “Casualty” off of “From Zero” before it was officially released. While singing this song and others from the new album, it was evident Armstong was more comfortable with her own songs rather than the band’s old music.
A week after the concert, the full version of “From Zero” was released. The album was hard to get used to; it wasn’t quite the original Linkin Park sound. It was more pop and upbeat compared to some of their older, heavier albums like “Hybrid Theory” and “Minutes to Midnight.”
With songs like “IGYEIH” and “Two Faced,” they hit the iconic heavy sound that the band is known for. If they had released more songs similar to those before the full release, I would have been more inclined to give the new sound a chance; however, they released some of the weaker songs on the album first like “Heavy is the Crown” and “The Emptiness Machine.”
Armstrong proved to be the perfect fit for the band. I could not be more happy that one of my favorite bands is back together, carrying on the legacy of Bennington and making fans’ dreams of seeing the band live come true. They’ve built their brand back from nothing and are now completely packing stadiums; the band truly came back “From Zero” with Armstrong and this album.
