Linkin Park return with new singer Emily Armstrong, new album From Zero out Nov 15, new tour dates

Maybe 7.30 is the time when they open doors. Could also be the start of Grandson set. LP tend to play around 9 / 9.30 PM

 

Obviously this was 10 years ago but the last show I went to was the Carnivores Tour with AFI and 30STM. AFI started playing its set right at the time listed on the tickets. Based on that its likely grandson starts his set at 7:30 or very close to it.

 

.Getting used to it! More glad to see Joe-Brad-Rob and Phoenix! Would say Mike but seen him on Twitch.

 

So am I nuts or is the beginning of The Emptiness Machine sampled from Joe's "Mista Han's Tasty Gas Station Breaks From The Orient" ?

Don't ask why I was checking it out but in any case that would be symbolic and freaking awesome! I hear a semblance at the 2 minute mark, just a bit pitch-shifted / sped up!!

 

So, my two cents:

• TEM is a good single, I like Emily as the new member of the band. Collin also looks like a cool dude, albeit a tad stoic. Looking forward to hearing the album. I hope they experiment a bit, though.
• Sad about Rob leaving the band. I hope it was an amicable breakup and not something else.
• I find it super weird that Brad is only doing studio stuff now. I get the reasoning why, but I don't think that gets you more than producer credits, even if he was part of the original lineup. It's weird.
• Them touring with 3 out of 6 original band members makes me think they should've changed the name. Heck, change it back to Xero and people would still probably put the pieces together. However, from a marketing standpoint, it wouldn't have been the best decision. Which is, I guess, why they kept the name.
• Not going in too deep, but I hope the whole Scientology thing surrounding Emily gets cleared up sooner than later. The silence is obviously not helping anyone, as the story gets bigger with each passing day. It obviously would be bad if the stories are true, but it's arguably as bad if things aren't true and Emily keeps getting shit thrown at her from every direction. What a hairy situation. You have to wonder if they ever expected this shitstorm to get this big. They must've seen this coming in some sense, no? I get why people ask the questions they're asking, I just hope the harrassing will stop. I cannot imagine the stress she must be going through.

 

They won’t address the Scientology situation. It puts them all in danger.

Source: all my favorite YouTube channels that aren’t the sidemen or Pokémon related revolve around murder, cults, dark, strange, mysterious. It’s dangerous for them to publicly denounce it. Literally anyone can be murdered no matter how famous you are.

I still think the lyrics to TEM is her denouncing it discreetly

 

Found this little frame at the Numb performance. Wanted to share because it kind of captures what this whole thing should be about IMO.

 

It really isn't.

All I see in this photo is scientology. /s

 

Wow, I honestly didn’t think the day would happen when Linkin Park came out with new music with a new singer… and unfortunately I’m kinda disappointed by it all. I wasn’t a huge fan of the live performance, but honestly that’s fine, I don’t plan on seeing them live and it’d be hard for anyone to replace Chester.

I was pleasantly surprised and jamming to TEM at first! But much like the title, the song itself felt really shallow. Just typical LP vague lyrics with a catchy hook in a standard song title. Which again is fine, but it’s just so underwhelming that this is what we got after such an abrupt and tragic end 7 years ago. There was so much heart put into OML, but TEM feels so empty.

Seeing that Rob departed was sad to see but completely understandable.

And then the controversies surrounding Emily is just the cherry on top. It kinda baffles me, but also it’s not like Mike has been allergic from making poor and sometimes even tasteless decisions in past few years with his ventures into NFTs and AI art (and yes I understand it wasn’t just him who made the new singer decision, but he is very much seen as the head of the band). Her statement didn’t help much either.

Idk man, I want to like the new music. I want to love the new album when it comes out! But I’m not getting my hopes up.

 

To be fair, the band most likely put a lot of thought and heart and work into this new material - I don't think they would have come back with anything if they were not fully thrilled about it. If this was about the lyrics specifically, it is unfortunate you are not much into the new track, but I would not call it "empty" due to it not being personal or explicit. I think it's entirely fine for songs to keep it vague (and personally, I prefer it this way).

I think the band is doing it right here. They are coming back with a new singer, following an iconic voice. That's a time where re-affirming your identity, and giving a sense of familiarity seems appropriate. If I understood correctly, that's the very reason they decided to keep the name, as the record "sounds so Linkin Park they would be idiots to give it any other name". And again, if I understood correctly, that is something that happened organically. The guys were writing stuff in different styles, and as they were refocusing on the stuff everyone liked the most, the project started to take shape, and inspired more stuff in that direction.

I think that anyone expecting lots of experimentation on this record may end up disappointed this time around. I get the feeling this record will be all about making a strong assertive statement of "We are back, this is still us, and we are at it full cylinders". However, I can definitely see the next record being totally different once again, and possibly more experimental. But first, they will probably want to re-establish themselves, re-establish their DNA, start from a new rejuvenated foundation. Well. I guess that's the idea => "From Zero"

 

I honestly just feel so bad for Mike and the guys about everything. The story of the controversy has gone so far and most of mainstream media picked it up by now. So, there's no way around it. In the broad public, the new LP will be associated with all of this weirdness and not the music. That's the narrative that will stick. Core fans have a choice though.

Having followed LP since the early 00's, having watched every interview, LPTV, stream, etc., you feel like you know them - even if you don't. It surprises me how distressing felt these past couple of days have felt for me. I can't imagine what it is like for the band.

For 7 years, Mike has tried and tried to make something significant again, to make a name as a solo artist, to get the fanbase going again. I think it has not been as fruitful or satisfying as he had hoped (also, given his recent comments about it).

Now, they finally made the LP comeback, and clearly with every good intention there is. They got so much right. My opinion: The new single is the best first single LP have had maybe since the 00s. They stopped chasing trends like on OML and found their way back to the core of what really makes them good. Then there is the livestream, the rollout, all the nostalgia but also just the guts of doing it the way they did - they got it all right. Emily sounds amazing. Not like Chester, but she has his spirit. She is the wild, emotional, rock and roll element of the band, that makes everything more exciting (and what Mike's solo music lacked, perhaps, even if the songwriting was good). This album could be amazing.

And the world was ready for them. Their status has only risen in these 7 years. The Y2K resurgence has been big. I mean, even their terrible (sorry) coverband are playing arenas internationally. You can see it in the numbers already. The big music media was giving them attention (as opposed to the 2010s).

There was always gonna be "she's not Chester", "why did they choose a female", etc. But a lot of the media and commenters who would have rallied behind them, especially for choosing a women, now will not. The controversy sucks because so many of the people who LP would have easily had on their side, are now going against them. It sucks because it might limit their chances to really hit the A-list level of the industry. We will never know, but this could mean a lot of things that will just never materialize, having a tainted reputation - idk it could be Coachella, Tonight Show, SNL etc.

There will be a core fanbase who believes in LP (and their judgement in Emily as a human being), who will go to the shows and be excited for their music. I am part of that fanbase.

But it is now Linkin Park against world - just like old days. I guess that is forever their cross to bear.

We're so back

 

Looks like you have an answer https://x.com/linkinpark/status/1833883723978379568

 

Nice! I can’t believe this is real

 

Hopefully someone streams this on social media. The show will probably end at 3am here in Brazil, but I'm so happy to be a zombie tomorrow morning. It still feels so surreal to have LP back.

 

I’m hoping so as well. I know it’s not the norm for people to stream entire shows but as an avid Taylor Swift fan where every show gets live streamed by someone I hope that someone will live stream the LP show. I really want to watch it!

 

Mike has given a few interviews and in one for a Chicago radio he explained why they kept the name. Everything about the band's comeback came in reverse. They (Mike, Joe, Dave and later Brad) jammed and did sessions with several people, including Colin and Emily. The sessions led to solid song ideas, some were even ready-ish before Emily even came in (The Emptiness Machine was all Mike, and he asked her to try and sing on it). He says that for every session they kept inviting Colin and Emily several times over. At that point they still weren't sure if they were even a fully formed band or if Emily could sing LP songs, they just liked hanging out together. Ultimately, as the songs came into a focused direction they decided to keep the name because Mike insists this new material is as Linkin Park as it could possibly be (which sounds promising) and putting the songs under a different band name would be a disservice to the songs themselves (he even said it would be misrepresentation).

It's weird you say the new song is underwhelming when you are literally using "Typical LP vague lyrics with a catchy hook" to describe their work, which means that you don't expect much from them anyway. Even OML keeps that neutral and intentionally open approach to the lyrics, so I don't know where you're trying to go here. "This is what we got after such an abrupt and tragic end", what does that even mean? It's almost as if you're suggesting there is some sort of "correct" or "incorrect" type of song to release 7 years after a friend and a bandmate passed.

 

I don’t think it needs to be said Linkin Park has always been incredibly good at creating very emotional albeit vague lyrics/music throughout their career. It’s a major part of the reason why they have been so successful internationally, and why they were such a huge part of my life growing. But TEM fell far below the golden standard they set in my opinion. Some songs on OML absolutely ventured away from their usual vague lyrics, such as singing about/to their kids on Invisible and Sorry for Now, and the potent imagery of a loved one missing from the dinner table. Comparing that to any song off of LT, it’s not exactly night and day but it’s pretty close (and also, I do still love almost all of LT).

I’m not saying there’s a definitive right or wrong way to come back after such a tragedy, but what I am saying is that I am disappointed at almost every aspect of their return. I’m sorry it’s not a positive opinion to share, but hey, that’s the nature of a forum discussing music.