BURBANK, California – September 5: Emily Armstrong and Linkin Park perform during a global … (+)
After a seven-year absence following the death of beloved singer Chester Bennington, Linkin Park surprised millions of fans last night with a special live performance where the band introduced their new lineup and officially announced their return. With the exception of drummer Rob Bourdon, all of the surviving members of Linkin Park have returned, but most notably, Linkin Park’s latest lineup includes two new members – drummer/producer Colin Brittain and Dead Sara singer Emily Armstrong as the band’s new lead singer.
In addition to unveiling their new lineup, Linkin Park also announced during their live performance yesterday that the band will be releasing a new album later this year and that a world tour is planned for September – yes, this month.
FROM ZERO is the eighth studio album by Linkin Park, set for release on November 15th via Warner Records. The band has already released and performed the first catchy new single from the album, “The Emptiness Machine”, and announced the album’s full track listing.
- From zero (introduction)
- The Machine of Emptiness
- Cut the bridge
- The crown is heavy
- Above each other
- Accident
- Overflow
- Two faces
- Stained
- IGYEIH
- Good things come
An interesting speculation about this new album is that the title of the record could be a reference to Linkin Park’s original band name, Xero. Sure, the album will be spelled “ZERO,” but assuming this is a new era for the band, the title could FROM ZERO the band is a subtle homage to its origins.
In an extensive interview with Billboard, the band talked about how the work on the album went and how Sara Armstrong and Colin Brittain came to join Linkin Park. As you can probably imagine, the band had FROM ZERO in secret for the past few years, although the new line-up only became concrete later in the writing process. In fact, Mike Shinoda originally had the idea that when Linkin Park returned, “a couple of people would do the vocals,” but bassist Dave Farrell encouraged the band to go for a permanent line-up and make a bold decision and not do anything “half-heartedly.”
The look and sound of Linkin Park in 2024 suggests that they are definitely bold and their newest members, especially Emily Armstrong, fit into the band incredibly well. Her vocals are certainly reminiscent of the late Chester Bennington, but they have a quality all their own, quite different from Bennington’s but delivering the same emotive energy that made his vocals so iconic.
As for Linkin Park’s touring schedule, the band has already booked six arena shows for a small world tour this month.
9/11 Kia Forum Los Angeles, CA
9/16 Barclays Center New York, NY
22.9. Barclays Arena Hamburg, Germany
24.9. The O2 London, Great Britain
28.9. INSPIRE Arena Seoul, South Korea
11.11. Coliseo Medplus Bogota, Colombia
However, it is already clear that these shows are just a small taste of the bigger plans Linkin Park has for 2025. Shinoda has stated that the band plans to “tour extensively” next year, and according to Billboard, a stadium tour is possible.
Furthermore, it would be no surprise if Linkin Park were the main event at US spring/summer rock festivals in 2025, particularly at the Danny Wimmer Presents festivals. DWP’s Welcome To Rockville social media page made no secret of sharing Linkin Park’s cryptic teaser on social media last week, which certainly suggests that the DWP brand plans to have Linkin Park headline next year.
