Chester Bennington’s mother drags Linkin Park and its new singer: ‘I feel betrayed’

Chester Bennington's mother drags Linkin Park and its new singer: 'I feel betrayed'

As a longtime fan of Linkin Park and someone who has followed their journey since the early days, I must say I feel a mix of emotions upon learning about the band’s relaunch without Chester Bennington. On one hand, it’s exciting to see them back together after a hiatus, but on the other, it feels like a piece of the original magic is missing.


Chester Bennington’s mother expresses pain and feelings of being deceived, as she wasn’t informed before Linkin Park reformed in their new version.

In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, I expressed my feelings of disappointment and hurt. They had assured me that they would always keep me informed if they were to take any action. Unfortunately, they didn’t do so, and I believe they must have been aware that I wouldn’t take the news lightly. Needless to say, I am quite distressed about this situation.

Linkin Park, a band that originated in Agoura Hills in 1996, was founded jointly by Chester Bennington and the returning members: rapper-producer Mike Shinoda, guitarist Brad Delson, DJ Joe Hahn, and Phoenix. The impactful group, previously known as Xero before Bennington became a part of it, recently announced their reunion, seven years after the tragic suicide death of their lead singer in 2017.

The reintroduction features Emily Armstrong, who was once part of Los Angeles-based rock group Dead Sara, stepping into Bennington’s position as lead vocalist, with Colin Brittain joining as the new drummer. The band is planning to drop their new album titled “From Zero” on November 15 and embark on a tour to present their revamped lineup.

On September 5th, the four original members shared that they’ve been reconnecting more frequently lately to revive the creative bond and friendship reminiscent of their early days. Shinoda explained that the album title “From Zero” symbolizes both their initial modest beginnings and the current journey they are embarking on. Sonically and emotionally, it encompasses the past, present, and future, blending their iconic sound with something fresh and vibrant. It was created with heartfelt gratitude towards their new and long-time bandmates, friends, family, and fans.

At their September 11th performance at the Kia Forum, Shinodo expressed his excitement to the audience by saying, “We’re not trying to forget our past. We’re moving forward and beginning a fresh chapter in our journey towards the future.

Chester Bennington's mother drags Linkin Park and its new singer: 'I feel betrayed'

But none of that sat well with Bennington’s mother.

Eubanks shared with Rolling Stone that it seems to him they’re making a concerted effort to wipe away the past. They’re playing tunes that Chester used to sing, and while I’m unsure about how the fans are feeling, I can tell you how I react. Hearing [Armstrong] singing my son’s songs leaves me with pain.

Bennington significantly contributed to the band’s rise to immense popularity with their debut album “Hybrid Theory” in 2000. This groundbreaking record blended heavy metal and hip-hop genres, featuring emotionally charged melodic choruses on tracks like “Crawling” and “In the End.” The group quickly became a household name that decade and remained a dominant force in rock music throughout their career. They even received Grammy Awards for their songs “Crawling” and “Numb/Encore.

Eubanks mentioned that she unintentionally tuned in to the band’s live stream announcement in early September, where she overheard Armstrong singing Bennington’s parts. Her evaluation of Armstrong’s performance was that she was “shrieking her way through a particularly high note.” Unable to endure any more, she turned off the stream and began crying. She claimed that her son had previously told her that Shinoda believed Linkin Park’s songs would sound better with a female singer because he often criticized Bennington, and that they would replace him with a woman if he ever chose to leave the band.

Chester appeared both bewildered and wounded, according to Eubanks, upon hearing the comments. And now that it’s been done, those feelings resurface. She admits she may have tolerated Shinoda singing Bennington’s parts, though they wouldn’t be as powerful or loud, but she strongly objects to someone else taking over completely, attempting to mimic Chester’s style, yet failing at it.

Additionally, she mentioned that neither Samantha, Bennington’s first wife, nor their son, Draven, had any prior knowledge of the upcoming relaunch; it wasn’t until the news was made public that they were informed.

She mentioned that it applied equally to her and caused pain, referring to Hahn who she last saw around four or five years ago. He had assured her he would inform her if they reunited, but never indicated any plans to revive the band. Furthermore, she claimed Shinoda made a similar pledge to her as well as Samantha Bennington.

Since her marriage to Chester, neither Samantha Bennington nor Shinoda has had any conversations or encounters, and this continued until after her 2005 divorce.

It seems as though my mother-in-law may be confusing Linkin Park with Bennington’s previous band, Grey Daze. This confusion could be due to the intense emotions of grief and sadness, which can sometimes affect our memory, as she explained in an interview with Rolling Stone following the publication of Eubanks’ reaction.

A spokeperson for Linkin Park declined to comment Friday when reached by The Times.

According to Shinoda, on “The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon” yesterday, it wasn’t about us deliberately aiming for something like “We should revive the band.” Or “We need to find a singer.” That was never our plan or objective.

At one point, our DJ Joe suggested that maybe we should spend more time together and be creative, which turned out to be the start of this new record,” Shinoda explained. “As things progressed, it seemed as if we were writing the music for this new band and creating the band itself simultaneously. Initially, there was no band, but as the music took shape, so did the group.

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2024-09-20 21:01

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