For the first time since Chester Bennington’s death in 2017, Linkin Park is set to release fresh music, marking an emotional comeback.
Now, over seven years later, the band is staging a major comeback, introducing new lead singer Emily Armstrong, a brand-new album, and a year-long world tour that is off to a strong start.
From Zero and The Emptiness Machine
The band’s highly anticipated upcoming album, From Zero, is scheduled to be released tomorrow, Nov. 15. The album’s lead single, The Emptiness Machine, was released on Sept. 5. along with a new music video.
The Emptiness Machine channels the distinct “melodic grunge rock” style and sound of Linkin Park. Mike Shinoda kicks off the lyrics before transitioning to the debut of new lead vocalist, Emily Armstrong, who has sparked both excitement and controversy.
The Emptiness Machine debuted on the No. 7 slot on the Billboard Hard Rock chart before climbing to the No. 1 position by September 21. It also landed the No. 21 position on the Billboard Hot 100 and generated over 250 million streams on Spotify. The music video has more than 60 million views on YouTube.
It’s clear Armstrong has the range and talent to carry the vocal complexity Linkin Park is known for, which ranges from textured, emotional verses to death growls as set by the late Chester Bennington.
With the release of The Emptiness Machine, several of Linkin Park’s older songs saw a resurgence on the charts, including In the End and Numb.
From Zero World Tour
With the From Zero world tour underway, Linkin Park’s next stop lands them at Allianz Parque Arena in São Paulo, Brazil, tomorrow night. From there, the tour will take the band across Latin America, the Middle East, Asia, North America, and Europe playing shows scheduled through November 2025.
Ahead of hitting the circuit, the band hosted a livestream performance of their new music. At its peak, nearly 300,000 people tuned in. Within 72 hours, the stream had over seven million views. It is now approaching twelve million.
The From Zero world tour was announced on September 5. It was initially slated to kick off on November 8 in Arlington, Texas—but the band got an early start with a surprise show at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California, on September 11.
In a refreshing move, the band put LP devotees first by selling tickets directly through their fan community, Linkin Park Underground, instead of through large-scale ticket sellers like Ticketmaster or Live Nation.
According to Linkin Park Live—a highly active fan site and forum that has been following the band since 2006—despite the show’s last-minute reveal, the Los Angeles arena sold out in under an hour. Likewise, the second surprise show in Brooklyn New York on September 16 also sold out.
North American tour dates have two main legs. The first is between April 12–May 17, 2025. After, the band jets off to Europe for a string of shows in late spring and early summer 2025. They’ll resume a second round of North American shows between Aug. 1 through Sept. 24, 2025.
Emily Armstrong’s Live Debut
Armstrong made her first live performance debut at the Los Angeles show, and based on internet conversations, she was well received. In addition to her impressive vocal range, Armstrong interacted with fans, smiling for pictures, high-fiving audience members.
Armstrong is straddling a delicate line. Linkin Park has a die hard fan base, and some felt that the band should rebrand under a different name instead of introducing Armstrong as a new vocalist. Bennington’s distinct and powerful vocals are a signature part of the band’s identity. Moreover, Armstrong’s controversial past became a big point of discussion when the band announced she would be joining.
Still, Armstrong seems to be slowly winning over skeptics, striking an emotional connection with them.
On the livestream—and reportedly in numerous concert performances to date—Armstrong chokes up while singing Bennington-era song Waiting for the End from the band’s 2010 album A Thousand Suns.
Specifically, she struggles to sing the lyrics: “This was never meant to last, I wish it wasn’t so” from the song’s second verse.
Fans from numerous shows have posted clips and discussed in forums that the singer takes pause for this verse, while other band members and audiences back her up, giving her a moment to collect herself.
From Zero is slated to be released tomorrow, Nov. 15, 2024.
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