The iconic nu metal band, Linkin Park, has returned to the alternative music scene for the first time since the passing of the legendary Chester Bennington in 2017. With their debut performance, the band welcomed new vocalist Emily Armstrong to the lineup with an announcement of a new tour and upcoming album. However, the return of Linkin Park has not been without its share of controversy.
Linkin Park has been a trailblazing alternative group since the early aughts with hits like “Numb” and “In The End” achieving mainstream popularity. The band came to a screeching halt when it was announced that their vocalist Chester Bennington had passed away from suicide in 2017. The band performed without Bennington at a tribute show in the same year, but has been largely out of the spotlight since the tragedy. Bennington’s passing was a blow to fans and the alternative music community as a whole, due to Linkin Park’s adherence to themes of mental health, as well as Bennington’s beloved status as a vocalist.
Linkin Park sunk into an indefinite hiatus following the loss of Bennington, but co-founding member Mike Shinoda had confirmed in a live Twitch stream in 2022 that although the band had stayed in touch, they lacked creative direction.
However, rumors arose that the group was in the market for a new vocalist. The rumors were only stoked by an interview with Orgy frontman Jay Gordon who said “I hear they got a girl singer now” for Loudwire.
Gordon’s comment spurred a slew of commentary from the band’s fan base and alternative music critics. Those who cherished Linkin Park and Bennington’s vocals were adamant that no one could replace Chester — which the returning members have not disagreed with. However, the prospect of the band returning has led to questions about whether a group with such significance to their community could continue on without a vital member.
On top of that, what misogyny would the band face if they did happen to unveil a female vocalist taking the spot of such an iconic male singer? Bennington left big shoes to fill, and it seemed unlikely that a woman would be able to fill such looming shoes in a typically male-dominated industry — female vocalists have had a markedly difficult time in rock and metal music compared to their male counterparts.
A countdown on the band’s website cued followers that an announcement was upon the horizon. The countdown led up to the announcement of a new international tour entitled the “From Zero” world tour, and introduced Emily Armstrong as new vocalist with a track called “The Emptiness Machine” on Sept. 5. The “From Zero” tour will consist of six stops, the first of which was in Los Angeles at the Kia Forum on Sept. 11. The show was the first that the band had played since the 2017 tribute show, and the first show played with Armstrong as lead co-vocalist.
Armstrong performed alongside returning members Shinoda, Joe Hahn, Brad Delson, and Dave Farrell, as well as new drummer Colin Brittain. Armstrong impressed fans with her performance of classic Linkin Park songs at the return performance.
While the new single and return performance have been received quite positively by listeners, Armstrong as a person has left much to be desired by those with deep connections in the alternative music community.
Emily Armstrong has been in the rock and metal music scene since 2002 when she began singing for the group Dead Sara. She has also been recognized by Dave Grohl and Grace Slick for her vocal talents. However, Armstrong has also garnered attention from the community for her ties to the Church of Scientology.
Her parents are members — Armstrong herself was born into the religious sect — but has never publicly acknowledged any connection to Scientology, although she was photographed at a gala affiliated with the Church of Scientology in 2013. However, Linkin Park fans were quick to point out that Armstrong had been among the many people closely associated with Scientology called to show up in support of the convicted rapist Danny Masterson while he was on trial.
Emily Armstrong revisited the incident when it was mentioned by the Linkin Park fanbase, apologizing for her previous support for Masterson, and claiming she was under the impression that he was a “good guy” before more information came to light. Armstrong clarified via Instagram story that she “do[es] not condone abuse or violence against women, and [she] empathize[s] with the victims of these crimes.”
Some point towards Armstrong’s previous lyrics criticizing religion in songs with Dead Sara and the vocalist’s own queer identity to prove that she is no longer affiliated with Scientology, but many of those who brought charges against Masterson have also called out Armstrong for her complicity in the court proceedings.
Even Chester Bennington’s own son, Jaime Bennington, claimed the move was disrespectful of his father and his legacy, especially considering Armstrong’s background in contrast to his own father’s.
Controversy aside, there is finally a new Linkin Park song for the fans to devour. “The Emptiness Machine” is a slow burn track leading with Shinoda’s vocals before Armstrong’s debut enters relatively softly. At roughly a minute and a half, Armstrong launches into raw, emotional vocals reminiscent of the late Bennington’s half-screams, half-singing vocal trademark. Before the listener knows it, the track plunges into a storm of instrumentals that Linkin Park fans are familiar with–but it’s an evolved version, much cleaner and more produced.
There’s something quite prophetic about the lyrics themselves, telling the story of desperation to create something that will bring community and safety, which ultimately falls into the cycle of industrialization; “I only wanted to be part of something / I only want to be part / I let you cut me open / Just to watch me bleed / Gave up who I am for who you wanted me to be.”
The track makes one wonder if the band expected such a strong reaction from their community when unveiling their new vocalist. Their blades are already sharpened, poised to cut whenever the announcement is made. It really hammers home how personal the loss of Bennington was to the original lineup, and how desperate they are to get back to the true reasons they make music: for the community that yearns for it and adores it unconditionally.
What is really at stake with the return of Linkin Park? Firstly, the rock and metal community’s staunch stance against anything related to Scientology is in question when considering the placement of a woman with known ties to the organization for the position of co-vocalist in a band that is a household name.
It also calls into question the right of a group of musicians to continue a project after the loss of a vital member. Do the rest of the Linkin Park members have the right to continue the project which they had dedicated such a significant portion of their lives to? Or must they let go of the band as a whole in the wake of the tragic loss of a loved one? As outsiders, fans of Linkin Park may never fully understand the grief of Linkin Park following the loss of a vocalist who many in the industry had regarded to be “one of a kind.”
It’s hard to ignore the fact that a group with such a well-known presence didn’t double and triple-check the background of the person they’d be appointing to step in for their own late figurehead. Armstrong’s background didn’t take much digging to bring to light, so any public relations manager had to have expected the blowback of appointing a vocalist with known ties to Scientology.
The full outcome of the band’s decision to appoint Emily Armstrong as the new co-vocalist will be revealed after the release of Linkin Park’s eighth studio album, “From Zero,” on Nov. 15.
