Seven years after former frontman Chester Bennington’s death by suicide in July 2017, Linkin Park performed live at Kia Forum in Los Angeles on Sept. 5, marking the end of their hiatus. Fans were invited to “be part of something” through the band’s official social media account on X, where the date of the event was revealed, and their new single “The Emptiness Machine” was hinted at. The night of the show, the band’s two new members were formally introduced to the audience: Emily Armstrong as their vocalist, and Colin Brittain as their drummer. Linkin Park is considered one of the greatest artists of the 2000s, and this event grabbed the world’s attention in a matter of hours — the news of their return spreading like wildfire.
Messages of support and joy flooded the comment sections of videos covering the band’s concert, as well as Linkin Park’s social media accounts following the event. The common consensus was that fans were ecstatic to see the acclaimed rock band come back. Co-founder Mike Shinoda shared in an interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe on Linkin Parks’ YouTube channel, how there was a sense of excitement and nervousness to return to the stage. The building blocks of their return started with casual get-togethers, with all band members asking themselves “can you imagine,” rather than “let’s do it.” To them, the process of coming back from their hiatus was all about returning to how the band originally started — as just friends getting together, sharing life experiences, and musing about what they could create together. After Shinoda first heard Armstrong singing one of their songs, he said, “It was the first time my brain would accept it as a Linkin Park song.”
In the following days, as the public came to find out more about the band’s new singer, Linkin Park found themselves at the centre of controversy. Allegedly, Armstrong has ties with the Church of Scientology, a cult with a troubling history. This naturally came as a shock for the fans, knowing that the late Bennington lost his life to depression and was a victim of child sexual abuse, both of which are things that the aforementioned church manages very differently. Armstrong reportedly assisted Danny Masterson’s early court hearing as an observer after being asked to support him, as he stood accused and was later convicted for sexual assault. In an Instagram post, the vocalist wrote, “Soon after, I realized I shouldn’t have. I always try to see the good in people, and I misjudged him. I have never spoken to him since. (…) To say it as clearly as possible: I do not condone abuse or violence against women.”
Armstrong’s background has revealed that she did not join the church by choice, rather she was born into it. She has openly presented herself as queer, something the church explicitly considers a perversion. She has also previously sung lyrics that suggest criticism and rejection toward the cult’s ideologies, suggesting she might have left the church. Leaving Scientology can be a harrowing experience that can involve severing ties with family members, explaining why the artist might have chosen not to mention her ties to the church in any capacity. The band has now officially started their tour, with tickets already selling out, as was the case with London’s O2 arena the night of Sept. 24. Ar
While many fans are eager to see the next steps of this new line-up, the thought of Bennington’s legacy lurks forever in the background, as his mark on the music industry is still felt today — inevitably placing a comparison point for Armstrong’s performance. Overall, Linkin Park has expressed their contentedness with the newfound unison and chemistry of all band members, new and old, as this has given them the spark they needed to catapult back into action. This new chapter has barely begun, and with a tour already under way, we get to witness their rebirth unfold.
