From Zero, and back, and back again - how Linkin Park’s 2025 will shape their future
The dust has settled on Linkin Park's blistering return with new frontwoman Emily Armstrong, but more time is needed to see if the future of the band is strong as its ambitions
In November 2014, at 15, my Dad took me to London to see Linkin Park at London’s O2 Arena on their Hunting Party tour. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was watching a show that gave me an image I’ll never shake as long as I live.
During the opening songs of the set, a shirtless Chester Bennington leapt into the air like a cast-out angel, thrusting his limbs behind his back, before landing and perfectly screaming the beginning of the iconic Given Up breakdown. Drenched in sweat, he went on to perfectly land his seventeen-second scream like it meant nothing, the pressure swirling and veins pulsing in his head driving a noise that would be impossible for any other mortal man at peak performance, after throwing himself around the arena’s stage.
I had a great love for Linkin Park inherited from my dad’s youth at this point, but this moment changed that. They weren’t a band anymore, they were something of legend.
This is a feeling that I imagine is true of many Linkin Park fans, especially those who have resisted the newness of the band’s bold and brave 2024, which saw rumours of “replacements,” the reveal of Emily Armstrong’s new position as lead vocalist, a monstrous world tour of arenas with the year’s leading Alternative voices in support slots and the arrival of their new album, From Zero. However, change is inevitable, and resisting it is unhealthy for fans and bands alike, especially with a return that is inevitable for a band led by Mike Shinoda, a musician fizzing with unique creativity.
This doesn’t mean that the band aren’t contending with legacy, though, and even though they’ve delivered some remarkable triumphs since they returned to the spotlight, this next year will be the true proving ground for Linkin Park. Nostalgia is a powerful drug, but even with the nu-metal revival to offer them a buoy and their adamant drive to take them into the biggest shows they’ve ever played, can it be enough to make the band bigger than ever?
Cleaned the slate, with the hands of uncertainty
Despite the band’s creative triumphs that have delivered From Zero, a comeback album that manages to both bridge gaps between it and each era of the band’s musicianship, and plant a flag in new ground as a statement of intent, they’re still waging a war with history. The period of excitement shortly following Emily Armstrong’s debut was peppered with criticism: Chester Bennington’s son Jaime took aim at Mike Shinoda for “quietly eras[ing] my father's life and legacy in real time,” Armstrong received ire for her support of actor Danny Masterson during the 2020 rape trial that convicted him, as well as her historical ties to the Church of Scientology, and even though he went without bitterness, the band’s guitarist Brad Delson relinquished his touring duties.
These are contributing factors to an atmosphere the band definitely didn’t want - if they wanted to make the transition as smooth as possible for fans who saw Linkin Park as Chester Bennington’s supporting musicians, this couldn’t get in the way. But, after a couple of weeks, it seemed that the fury pointed towards Armstrong fizzled after she publicly revealed her regret about her support for Masterson, and Shinoda largely ignored statements made by Jaime Bennington safe for an allusory comment onstage. The press was otherwise occupied by Linkin Park revealing their new album From Zero, and releasing singles that, for many, revealed a band back at the top of their game. For the most part, it felt like this bout of backlash against the band simply couldn’t be louder than the support for their new record.
The shock has worn off, and it seems that the band are ready to let From Zero carry them through what appears to be their most ambitious tour to date - but can their new appearance as crowd-pleasing festival headliners and stadium-fillers last, even with nu-metal revivalism as the wind under their wings?
The hardest part of ending…
It was safe to presume that Linkin Park’s return would be big, but predicting the scale of their 2025 plans would have been out of the question - the band is embarking on its official From Zero world tour, hitting stadiums and festival grounds at a rate and consistency that the band has never committed to in its life, including a show at London’s Wembley Stadium.
The band has played stadiums before, but most times alongside major special guests to sweeten the pot, like Blink-182 in Paris, France and Sum 41 in Monza, Italy - but this is perhaps the most consistent string of stadiums that the band has played in its entire career - and by the looks of things, it’s paid off. Parks and domes on their Euro tour have already sold out with months to go before they actually take to the stage, and they’re already topping festival lineups across the globe after their return.
It’s all incredibly ambitious, and for now, it seems to be working, but Linkin Park’s current situation is remarkably unique. While Blink-182 were still able to tour arenas when Tom Delonge stepped down from the band and Alkaline Trio’s Matt Skiba joined, their longevity waned quickly, and the quality of their records took an incredibly sharp and noticable nosedive, to the degree that the tracks released during the period barely get a look-in in live sets nowadays as the Delonge-led troupe seem more interested in their comeback record and playing the hits. If From Zero is destined to follow the same pattern, it will be seen in the longevity of the album’s popularity, and ultimately, if people are showing up to these huge shows for the band that Linkin Park were, or for the Linkin Park they are.
Consistency is key, and as long as The Emptiness Machine can sustain a singalong on this tour like their classic works almost certainly will, then it’ll be a good sign. In the meantime, Linkin Park’s ambitions are soothing for fans, and indicative of a band that intends to see its refreshed songwriting and creative output through to the end. The experience of Linkin Park has no doubt changed since I watched Chester Bennington soar through the air in the way that he did, and though many fans refuse to engage with the new band, they’re going to have to shit or get off the pot at some point. And if they don’t do it in 2025, who knows if they ever will.
Into the Dungeon
Every week at Altopsy, I’d like to take you inside what I’m listening to as I dig around for the best alternative releases about. Take them for a spin and share your thoughts on social media or in the comments! For this week’s pick…
Hour of Reprisal - A New World From the Ashes of the Old (2023)
Hour of Reprisal is, for my money, the leading Straight Edge band on the UK circuit, in both quality and in action, and they couldn’t put this to record better than with A New World From the Ashes of the Old. It perfectly reflects what Hardcore ought to be in the modern UK, taking aim at Police forces, royalty and the very fabrics that stitch the Saint George’s Cross together.
A New World… is seven tracks of twisted fury, pummeling with down-tuned chugs and shrieking pinches that assail you just as you’d like to be assailed at a Hardcore show, and though it feels incredibly modern in its approach, its fury and spit of bile are as classic as it gets in the genre. Motivating, mobilising, and heavy like you wouldn’t believe, Hour of Reprisal is one band I’m banking on making a stir this year.
Listen to A New World From the Ashes of the Old here: Spotify | Apple Music