Since last week’s countdown parody, Linkin Park fans have been eagerly awaiting their live event scheduled for this Thursday, September 5th. The band has been hinting at something big since posting a mysterious 100-hour countdown last week, and fans are speculating that it could be a Linkin Park reunion with a new singer. Not to mention, every member of Linkin Park shared last week’s teaser on social media. So whatever the band is planning, all of the former members seem to be on board, further fueling reunion speculation.

However, following the band’s 100-hour countdown, members of Linkin Park Underground were emailed an invitation to an exclusive live event set to take place on September 5th from 12:30pm to 5:30pm PST. That was the first indication that Linkin Park actually had concrete plans for an announcement this week, and the band has since confirmed a live event for Thursday at 3pm PST on their YouTube channel. Things heated up even further, however, when the band’s second 100-hour clock (yes, they started a second 100-hour timer) cryptically teased an image and some audio right as the clock was about to expire.

From the looks and sounds of it, it’s safe to assume that the band will be releasing new music on Thursday, possibly a brand new single. The fade-in audio sounds vaguely like music, and these types of “fade-in teasers” are commonly used by hard rock and metal bands these days. While a new Linkin Park single is certainly a good bet for Thursday, it’s hard to say whether or not the band will be announcing a new singer.

Interestingly, fans on the Linkin Park subreddit have reposted a recent interview by Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda, in which he talks about the future of the band and what path would be best for the band. Shinoda is referring to the bands AC/DC and Nirvana, who both lost their lead singers but went down different paths as a result – AC/DC recruited Brian Johnson and ventured to even greater success, and Nirvana split up but drummer Dave Grohl went on to front the Foo Fighters.

Shinoda apparently only mentions this because he isn’t entirely sure what the best path is for Linkin Park. However, given recent news, rumors, and teasers, it definitely seems like Shinoda and the rest of the band have chosen a path by now. Whether that path includes a new singer remains to be seen, but it’s more than likely that it at least includes a future for Linkin Park.