American nu-metal band Linkin Park has roped in Dead Sara singer Emily Armstrong as their new vocalist almost seven years after the death of frontman Chester Bennington, they announced during a live performance in Los Angeles on Thursday.
The band, which became a rage among young millennials back in early 2000s, also dropped a new single from their upcoming music album and announced a world tour later this year.
Colin Brittain, who is a singer-songwriter and producer for G Flip, Illenium and One OK Rock, has also joined the band as a drummer.
During the heydays of Linkin Park, Chester Bennington led the band along with Mike Shinoda before his untimely death by suicide in 2017.
Cut to 2024, Linkin Park performed together for the first time after seven years in Los Angeles on Thursday. Armstrong and Shinoda came up with an exclusive performance of songs like Numb, Lost, In The End and Waiting for the End, which were livestreamed on Linkin Park’s official website.
The band also dropped a new single titled The Emptiness Machine from their upcoming album From Zero. “The music video for our new song ‘The Emptiness Machine’ is out now,” they wrote alongside the music video on Instagram.
The Emptiness Machine is set to “channel the DNA of Linkin Park”, Shinoda said. He also mentioned that the band feels “really empowered with this new lineup and the vibrant and energised new music we’ve made together,” adding that they are “weaving together the sonic touchpoints” they have been known for and still exploring new ones.
The group — featuring Shinoda, Brad Delson, Phoenix and Joe Hahn, alongwith Armstrong and Brittain — will also embark on a world tour this year. Commencing on September 11 and concluding on November 11, the band will be hitting cities like Los Angeles, New York, Hamburg, London, Seoul and Bogota.
About the new era of Linkin Park, Shinoda said in a statement, “Before Linkin Park, our first band name was Xero. This album title refers to both this humble beginning and the journey we’re currently undertaking. Sonically and emotionally, it is about past, present, and future — embracing our signature sound, but new and full of life. It was made with a deep appreciation for our new and longtime bandmates, our friends, our family, and our fans. We are proud of what Linkin Park has become over the years, and excited about the journey ahead.”
This year, Linkin Park released a greatest hits album named after their 2000 song Papercuts. The 20-track album consisted of their hit songs like In the End, Burn it Down and Numb.
