Everything came to a screeching halt, however, on July 20, 2017, when lead singer Chester Bennington, whose trademark growl coupled with a sensitive and soulful voice balanced with rapper Mike Shinoda, shockingly took his own life. In attempting to cope with the loss of such a vital member of their group, Linkin Park took an indefinite hiatus, choosing only to release 20th anniversary editions of their first two albums and otherwise staying out of the spotlight.

On Sept. 5, 2024, fans of Linkin Park received news that they had waited seven long years to hear – the hiatus is over. The announcement was made via livestream as the band played a live concert that included performances of some of their hit songs, including “Crawling,” “Numb,” “In the End,” and “Faint.” Perhaps most importantly, the world was introduced to the new co-lead singer of Linkin Park, Emily Armstrong, formerly of the band Dead Sara.

As if the event was not exciting enough for its legions of fans, Shinoda dropped perhaps the biggest bombshell of the night, announcing not only a new album entitled “From Zero” releasing Nov. 15th, but a short tour beginning in Los Angeles on Sept. 11.

Linkin Park was founded in 1996 by Shinoda, Rob Bourdon, and Brad Delson, and was originally called Xero. Joe Hahn joined shortly after, along with Dave Farrell. The band was finally complete when lead singer Chester Bennington joined the band in 1999, which led to the release of their debut album “Hybrid Theory,” in 2000. The album has sold more than 32 million copies worldwide in its 24 years of existence.

The next 17 years saw the band repeatedly on the charts, as it released seven studio albums along with live albums and compilation albums, totaling more than 100 million records sold worldwide. Their work also won them a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance for its  song “Crawling” and MTV Video Music Awards for Best Rock Video and Best Direction for “In the End.” With their punk rock singing mixed with hip-hop, rap and metal, they provided the soundtrack to a generation.

In the past few years, the band has mostly been dormant, occasionally appearing on social media to hype up one of their re-releases, but otherwise staying out of the public eye.

Suddenly, on Aug. 24, the band posted a 100-hour countdown on X. Eagle-eyed fans quickly calculated that the countdown would end on Aug. 28, and prepared for an announcement from the band. When the countdown hit zero, it glitched for a few moments, before starting to count upwards. It was also shared with the caption “It’s only a matter of time…” Fans noticed that the timer glitched at nine minutes and five seconds, leading fans to believe that the announcement was coming on Sept. 5.

Fans were swiftly rewarded, as the band tweeted out that there would be something happening on Sept. 5, and followed it up with a livestream announcement a few days later.

In the livestream, the band emerged onto a stage in a soundstage filled with fans. Original members Shinoda, Delson, Hahn, and Farrell, as well as new drummer Colin Brittain appeared. As the band began playing music, Shinoda stepped up to the microphone and said, “It’s good to see you again,” before launching into a new song, “The Emptiness Machine.”

Midway through the song, Armstrong joined Shinoda and company onstage. Shinoda then introduced every band member to the audience, adding “And in the role of Chester Bennington this afternoon, is each of you.”

At the end of the concert, just prior to playing their final song, Shinoda dropped the big announcements. First, they officially released “The Emptiness Machine” as a single with a music video. He then announced the six-date world tour that the band would be embarking on, and finally revealed the news about “From Zero”. The concert wrapped up with “Bleed It Out,” and the band exited the stage, with Shinoda taking his time greeting fans on the way out.

In an interview with Zane Lowe that premiered on Sept. 6, the band discussed everything that led to the moment that they re-emerged, detailing how they decided to come back together and make music again.

On the additions of Brittain and Armstrong, Shinoda said that he met Brittain while working in a studio with him, and Farrell said that the band had known Armstrong for many years. Initially, he said that the band did not know what they were doing but that everything felt right.

Many fans have been supportive of the band’s new direction, with excitement brewing for the new era. However, as has been expected, passionate fans of the band have already begun to weigh in on the choice of Armstrong as singer, with some taking a far more aggressive and angry posture.

Concerns of a possible past connection with the Church of Scientology and allegations of her support for Danny Masterson, whom the court sentenced to three decades in jail for two counts of rape, have since arisen, shedding some unpleasant light on the singer.

However, Armstrong has since come out to clear the air. In an Instagram story posted Friday night (Sept. 6), she explained that she attended an early hearing in Masterson’s trial as an observer, as she was asked by “someone [she] considered a friend.” She states that soon after, she realized that she had misjudged him and made it very clear that she does not condone any violence or abuse towards women, saying “[I] empathize with the victims of these crimes.”

She still has not addressed any connection to the Church of Scientology but has dispelled the rumors surrounding one of the main concerns.

With the new era of Linkin Park, only time will certainly tell if their future will be as impactful and successful as their past.

The band kicks off their From Zero World Tour on Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024,  at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles before continuing to New York City, Hamburg, London, Seoul, and Bogota.

While fans will have to wait for the new album to come out, it is clear that Linkin Park is back, in a big way, and ready to bring their music to the world once again.