With Linkin Park's signal fires lit and a countdown ticking ominously, speculation about a possible reunion performance (or tour!) is rampant. If what this all means is question number one on everyone's mind, question one point zero one has to be "who will take Chester's place on stage?"
Since we're all wound up over here and need somewhere to put this energy, we at the Nu Metal Agenda have decided to be helpful and throw together a lineup of some possible candidates for consideration. Mike, Hahn, everybody, if you're listening--we're not saying you have to. We're just asking you to hear us out.
F Tier
Ronnie Radke (Falling In Reverse)
Content creator and rumored musician Ronnie Radke would be hands down the worst possible pick LP could make to replace the Chester Bennington. From what I can tell he does in fact sing, but it’s almost impossible to make it out through the cloud of outrage baiting he's built his career on, and bringing that energy to a band as professional as Linkin Park wouldn’t just wreck a reunion tour--it could retroactively erase some of the band’s legacy. Luckily this likelihood is so remote it’s not worth losing any sleep over, but it is useful to establish the bottom of the proverbial barrel before making our way to the apples on top.
D Tier
Avril Lavigne
Avril! Another contemporary, and admittedly from the same mall-punk world as Sum 41, but unlike Whibley, Avril has the vibe of a dragonfly-winged black-bangled nu metal woman ready to explode out of the pleated-skirt kid's skin. Moreover her own "Take Me Away" from 2004's Under My Skin has plenty of Meteora vibes so she has been here before. However without even being able to make a serviceable Hetfield happen I'm thinking odds of a decent Chester being about nil.
Mike Shinoda
I mean… he can hold a tune, and nobody on earth knows these songs like he does; however, holding a tune and stepping up to Chester’s plate are very different things, and ultimately I’m pretty sure he would be in dire need of an oxygen tank after doing both parts and playing guitar on “Faint.”
C Tier
Deryck Whibley (Sum 41)
The Sum 41 frontman is a Linkin Park contemporary as well as something of a Chester analogue in his role as the grit-voiced emotional center of his band. Additionally, with Sum 41 on their farewell tour, buddy's schedule is looking nice and open. As a Canadian, Whibley might double well as band diplomat when they're fighting over PS5 rotation on the tour bus. If there's a downside, it's Whibley's vocals, which fit in the main but are hard to imagine drawing blood from anyone over 14.
(Editor's Note: Deryck was supposed to be C Tier but since it's now probably going to actually be him he's been moved up to A)
(Editor's Note 8/27: lol nevermind)
Sam Nazaretian (Cheem)
He could do it and do it well but it would take him away from the best band in the world (Cheem) so C tier.
Generic Metalcore Bro (Noah Sebastian, Andy Cizek, Oli Sykes, etc?)
You didn’t read it wrong, we’ve got three vocalists listed in one. Back in 2017 for the memorial show, Oli Sykes of Bring Me The Horizon had one of the more infamous performances with Linkin Park where it appeared that he lip-synced his vocals to a previous session, and even those were to be desired. And while Noah Sebastian of Bad Omens and Andy Cizek of Monuments certainly are much more up to the task with their range and vocal chops, the fact of the matter is there is little expectation that either would be anywhere close to being within consideration. Also, to quote the CEO of Nu Metal Holiday Kirk,”Borrrriiiinnnng.”
B Tier
Amy Lee (Evanescence)
The seraph-voiced Evanescence frontwoman is a genre icon, and did a cycle or two through the rumour mill earlier this year when the whisper network got going about Linkin Park looking at female singers for the Chester role. While Lee is undeniably the most high-profile woman in nu metal, her vocal presence would likely overpower LP's sound, and it's hard to square the gothic opulence of her pocket with the leaner demands of Chester's vocal parts. This combo would make a new band, not a new chapter.
Willow
Yeah, that Willow. I feel like our part of the music world has been a little rude to her. While her dad has been out there slapping colleagues and making mid movies, Willow has been quietly making a case for herself as a serious--if restless--artist capable of working in some pretty wildly different modes. Her most recent work has been in a more avant jazz-pop mode, but her 2022 record <COPINGMECHANISM> showcased some surprisingly nuanced vocals with real power and grit to them. Like with Amy Lee, she'd definitely take the band in a new direction, but unlike Amy, her voice feels like it wouldn't require the band to change all their tempos and amp settings. Also, if they get Willow maybe they get her bass player too, like just to take a solo or two; I shit you not, check this out. Whip your hair back, Linkin Park.
A Tier
Raygun Busch (Chat Pile)
The Chat Pile shaman and channeller of American carnage may not be able (or willing) to hit the high notes, but you can't say he doesn't put his heart into his vocals (to say nothing of the rest of his body). Imagine the words "I need a little room to breathe" slurred from Ray's mouth as he paces the stage, barefooted, Mike Shinoda pogoing around him. Sure, your average fan might scratch their heads and ask who let the patient out on the day pass, but for those who get it, its Raygun all the way down the ballot.
S Tier
Bonnie Fraser (Stand Atlantic)
This already worked, so why not bring it to the world? Skip the stunt casting and hire the woman for the job; picking a young, female replacement would add a real jolt of new energy that could carry the whole venture out of the realm of nostalgia and into something actually new. And if you're worried about Stand Atlantic? Let 'em open.
