The All-Nu Linkin Park - One Year In

It's been one whole year since Linkin Park's reunion show, where we were first introduced to singer Emily Armstrong, 'The Emptiness Machine," and From Zero, as both an album and an era. Let's take a look back to where it all began, and recap what's happened since that fateful Thursday afternoon.

Inception

It began with a rumor. Words accidentally uttered in an interview by Orgy singer Jay Gordon, who would vehemently retract them shortly after. Linkin Park were alleged to return, with a female singer in tow. After the rumor, the speculation began. Who would the singer be? Would it be a woman at all? Personally, I thought it would be Stand Atlantic's Bonnie Fraser, seeing as how she joined Mike Shinoda earlier that year, and would perform "Bleed it Out" with him as part of the rollout for his solo single "Already Over."

You can read The Nu Metal Agenda's predictions here.

Then came the countdown. On August 24th, the band's social media pages would post a mysterious 100 hour countdown timer, along with a link to the band's offical website. Linkin Park's YouTube page was updated as well to display the ominous timer.

Things would become even more confusing, when Sum 41 singer Deryck Whibley would also schedule an announcement on the same day the Linkin Park's countdown was set to end. Sum 41 were on their farewell tour at the time, adding plausibility to the theory that he could be the new singer. Whibley would come forward on the 27th to claim he was not joining Linkin Park, but launching a memoir. Many would tune in to see the countdown timer hit zero on August 28th, and to their chagrin, nothing happened.

The timer would glitch out for a few seconds, and then began counting upwards. Nine minutes and five seconds into the collective outrage after the fact, the timer would glitch again, with fans piecing together that there was another announcement to come on September 5th. Members of Linkin Park's offical fanclub, LP Underground would soon receive invitations to an event in Los Angeles, and the band would make a post on their socials linking their website and telling fans, "Be part of something. September 5th."

The countdown would stop yet again at 100:00:00, leaving behind this image for a brief period. (This image would later be revealed to be a still from the music video for "The Emptiness Machine".)

Then September 5th rolled around. The band would make a post on all platforms, telling fans to tune in at 3PM PT.

Creation

I remember where I was when 3PM rolled around. Funnily enough, I was in our very own Holiday Kirk's Twitch stream. The livestream started on a black screen, slowly fading to a dim stage with blue lights illuminating the crowd. The stage would remain this way for a few minutes, presumably so the band could make any final preparations before taking the stage. Soon after, the lights would go out entirely, and a laser show would bring the lights up on stage, revealing instruments and mic stands, all covered in tarp. As a dramatic, slowed-down version of Castle of Glass played, the tarps were removed one by one and the band took their place on stage. They would start an extended intro of "Somewhere I Belong", before halting for Shinoda, as he leaned into the mic and declared "It's good to see you again." And then they did something I, and I'm sure many others, didn't expect. They launched into a new song, which would come to be known as "The Emptiness Machine". As the second verse began, a mystery woman would take the stage, thrusting the song into a gravely second verse and a fry scream-filled chorus. As the track ended, and the applause died down, Shinoda would gesture towards her, introducing the world to Emily Armstrong for the first time. After a performance of Somewhere I Belong, Shinoda would properly introduce the band as a whole.

The new Linkin Park lineup is as follows:

Bass guitar - Dave "Pheonix" Farrell
Drums - Colin Brittain
Turntables - Joe Hahn
Guitar - Brad Delson
Touring Guitar - Alex Feder
Vocals/Keyboards/Rhythm guitar - Mike Shinoda
Vocals - Emily Armstrong

The new lineup sees 3 new members joining the band, including Colin Brittain being brought on as the new drummer. Rob Bourdon had expressed a desire to distance himself from Linkin Park, although no fallout occurred.

“Rob had said to us at a point, I guess it was a few years ago now, that he wanted to put some distance between himself and the band,” Shinoda says. “And we understood that – it was already apparent. He was starting to just show up less, be in less contact, and I know the fans noticed it too. The Hybrid Theory re-release [in 2020] and Papercuts release [this April], he didn’t show up for anything..." "So for me, as a friend, that was sad, but at the same time, I want him to do whatever makes him happy, and obviously everybody wishes him the best."
- Mike Shinoda, in an interview with Billboard.

Guitarist Alex Feder was brought in as a live guitarist, filling in for Brad Delson, as Delson would go on to say he feels more at home in the studio than on stage in an interview with Guitar World.

And of course, Emily Armstrong, who took up the mantle of lead singer from the late, great Chester Bennington.

After "Somewhere I Belong", the concert would continue through about an hour of the band's hits, featuring a live debut of "Lost" as a piano ballad, and "Lying From You"'s first live performance since 2013. Armstrong's voice pours new life into songs we've heard countless times, but it's noticeable she's a little nervous here. There's a few bits throughout where her voice is slightly shaky, and there's a moment during "Waiting For The End", Armstrong's favorite Linkin Park song, as confirmed in an interview with AltWire, where her voice falters, overcome with emotion, and she lets the audience take over while she regains her composure. It's a powerful moment that really solidifies how important the music is to her.

Right before the band plays their last song, a version of "Bleed It Out" with a snippet of "A Place For My Head" weaved into the bridge, Shinoda drops a bombshell on the crowd: The single they opened with, "The Emptiness Machine", and its companion music video had been released on all platforms, the official Linkin Park website had been updated with tour dates and tickets available to pre-order, and last but not least, pre-orders and additional information about a new album, titled From Zero were up. It quickly became clear this wasn't just a reunion concert. This was the culmination of months and months of preparation and secrecy, and it sent a message: Linkin Park was back, and they are here to stay.

You can read The Nu Metal Agenda's reactions to "The Emptiness Machine" here.

Not all was sunshine and rainbows, however. As the fog cleared on the stage of the September 5th show, people began digging into Armstrong and her past (as the internet does), and some interesting things would come about.

You can catch the From Zero Livestream below:

Break/Collapse

Armstrong was born on May 6th, 1986. She was the frontwoman of the rock band Dead Sara, a band that was, until last year, relatively under the radar to the general public. Dead Sara was founded in 2005 and over the years, Armstrong and the band would rack up several credits to their names, including a feature on an AWOLNATION track, and a cameo in The Vampire Diaries, but they wouldn't see any mainstream notice until Armstrong was revealed as the new lead singer for Linkin Park.

Armstrong herself would come under fire after the September 5th show due to her ties to the Church of Scientology and, more alarmingly, her connection to twice-convicted rapist and former That '7os Show actor Danny Masterson. Armstrong was present during the preliminary stages of Masterson's trial and was allegedly a longtime friend of his. One of her biggest detractors, At The Drive-In and The Mars Volta frontman Cedric Bixler-Zavala, would take to Instagram, reaming Armstrong for her alleged support of Masterson and Scientology. Bixler-Zavala's wife, Chrissie Carnell-Bixler was one of several women who were pursuing rape charges against Masterson.

Bixler's statement reads on Instagram:

"I left this on [Dead Sara's] account, 'I'm surprised none of you wrote a letter on Danny Masterson's behalf since your corny ass signer showed up to support him in the prelims. Remember Emily? Remember how your fellow scientologist goon squad surrounded one of the Jane Doe's when she was trying to leave the elevators? The court sheriffs had to escort her away from your awful cult. Remember when we did the purification run down Emily? Were you directed to safe point me because of what my wife knew? Why can't you shut your mouth during a detox program where people are going through some rough shit but your corny ass is singing like an unsupervised child? Is it cuz you're a born in scientologist that gets a pass? How do you reconcile the homophobia found in the teachings of LRH's book dianetics? Do your fans know about your friend Danny Masterson? Your rapist friend."

Armstrong would later address the allegations against her connections with Masterson in an Instagram story:

It reads as follows:

“Hi, I’m Emily. I’m new to so many of you, and I wanted to clear the air about something that happened a while back. Sever years ago, I was asked to support someone I considered a friend at a court appearance, and went to one early hearing as an observer. 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 with him since. Unimaginable details emerged and he was later found guilty. To say it as clearly as possible: I do not condone abuse or violence against women, and I empathize with the victims of these crimes.”

Carnell-Bixler would issue her own statement after the fact via Instagram:

“Dear Emily, If you’re not going to speak out against the human and child trafficking cult in which you are a part of and in which you enable by remaining silent on the crimes you know about then you have no right to fill the shoes of Chester Bennington, a true advocate. I don’t give a fuck that you are very close to the serial rapist. I don’t give a fukc that you lied in your “apology” instagram story. I do care that you participated, after being asked, in the cruel intimidation of Jane Doe 1 with your cult pals at court. I do care that you didn’t once mention that you are a member of a child and human trafficking cult that covers up the abuses and rapes of CHILDREN and adults. I do care that your parents work for OSA (the office of special affairs) of the cult of Scientology which have been ordering attacks on me and my family which includes murdering my dogs in the most inhumane and evil ways. I do care that they have been attacking and harassing my fellow sister survivors. You don’t speak out against Scientology not because you’re terrified of them. You don’t speak out because you are one of them. Shame on Linkin Park. Fuck you.”

Bixler-Zavala would also follow up with a statement of his own:

“Emily, did you know that your friend Chris Wadhams and Danny would drive by one of the Jane Does very slowly, after a fucked up day of cross examinations, and follow her in their car, staring at her trying to intimidate her? I do. Did you know that Alana Masterson would hide in the bathrooms after one of the Jane Does had a massive panic attack on the stand and proceeded to harass her in the bathroom calling her a liar? What, you didn’t hear about that? Did your parents shield you from that? Your OSA parents. Or were you cool with that? Doesn’t your church call that the fair game policy? Weren’t you just hanging out with Nasal Queef herself, (Bijoux Phillips) just a couple of days ago? Oh wait, she’s ok now because she divorced Danny? She sure had a grand ol’ time reading my wife’s police report in a mocking post. Remember how she screamed when they took Danny away? I bath[e] in that moment every single fucking day. Careful homegirl, that Phillips curse is contagious, just read Mackenzie Phillips[‘] book. You should also read up on that fucking dingbat Bijoux’s past behavior. That is of course if the church allows you to read about her. They do have a policy about reading anything critical of the church and its members. Your church also has a bad snitching culture where u write knowledge reports on fellow members who are not “following” the teachings of L Ron Hubbard. Just like the East German stassi imposed on its citizens. That’s your church? Today is the one year anniversary of having put that shit bag you thought was a “good guy” in jail. You can’t even say sorry to the Jane Does properly, huh? Your apology is worded as if you hired some PR crisis team to help you. As for you Linkin Park, you should fire your entire team for not thoroughly vetting your choice. You’re a Disney level brand trying to make a comeback and you didn’t think to spend a little money on looking into her? Sotp playing at the drive in’s music on your pre show playlist.”

That's a lot. It very much brings into question her relationship with the Church of Scientology, an organization that falls morally on the spectrum between problematic and cultlike, depending on where you stand. It's hard to pinpoint her exact involvement with the church, as so much of it is layered in secrecy. Armstrong was born into Scientology, and her mother, Gail Armstrong, is a senior consulting editor for the church's magazine, Freedom.

This puts Armstrong in a rough spot, because she can't exactly denounce the church, even if she wanted to, as it's been alleged by many, including Carnell-Bixler and Bixler-Zavala, that the church will engage in violent acts and harassment to silence those who speak out.

It is worth noting that Armstrong's status as a lesbian goes against the doctrine of the Church, which calls homosexuality a "perversion" and a spiritual aberration. The writings of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard describes homosexuals as physically ill, perverted, and extremely dangerous to society. He also listed homosexuality as being "covertly hostile" on Scientology's emotional tone scale. The Church is also alleged by former members to engage queer-identifying members in "auditing", which is akin to conversion therapy. Several of Dead Sara's lyrics also suggest strong criticism and rejection of the Church's doctrines. Examples include the 2018 track "Heaven's Got a Back Door" including the lyrics "I heard the voices of the preacher / Telling me all the reasons why I'd die alone... I'm through feeling sorry / For the things that I can't choose". Fans have also hypothesized that these lyrics mean Armstrong has left the church. Armstrong has yet to acknowledge her Scientology ties since joining Linkin Park.

Kintsugi

Linkin Park did not let this controversy slow them down, and would continue playing live shows quickly after. On September 24th, they would release their second single, "Heavy Is The Crown". The single was released to accompany the 2024 League of Legends World Championship. The song's music video was notably animated by Studio Fortiche, the same studio who animated the hit TV show Arcane. A more dramatic version, featuring reworked vocals from both Armstrong and Shinoda was also featured in season 2 of the show. One month later, they would follow up with the single "Over Each Other," with an accompanying music video directed by the band's own Joe Hahn. That was supposed to be all the singles, but the band couldn't resist and quickly shot and released a music video for "Two Faced", their most nu-metal track in years, 2 days before the album's release. Not only that, if you purchased the digital deluxe edition of the album on the band's website, you could listen to the album before it's full release. (Which I did.)

On the 14th, they would also announce a full world tour in support of the album. The band would play a show the next day in São Paulo, commemorating the November 15th release.

And then the album came out. And it was great. I found it to be a wonderful celebration of Linkin Park's eras and styles. There's a great variety here, from the nu-metal romp that is "Two Faced", to the slower, more pop-tinged track "Overflow", From Zero showcases the band's ability to effortlessly switch things up. The album also includes brief interludes at the start/end of certain tracks showcasing the band's chemistry, and it's a really cute touch. Where I think the album falters a bit is in it's lyricism. I can't help but laugh every time I hear "Good Things Go" because the line "Falling down stairs while everyone stares" is just really unfortunate, and doesn't fit the usual Linkin Park standard. Overall, the album is a nice walk down memory lane for the band, and an acknowledgement that they're able to move on, while still paying respect to what came before. And goddamn, can they still write a hit.

You can read The Nu Metal Agenda's reviews of From Zero here and here.

From Zero would go on to debut at #1 in 13 different countries and, as of August 2025, has sold over 1.6 million copies worldwide. A deluxe edition of the album was released on May 16th, 2025, featuring three new tracks ("Up From the Bottom", "Unshatter", and "Let You Fade"), and live versions of some of the original album tracks. Recently, the album has also seen certification 10 times over, solidifying the album as quite the success for the band. And their live shows are also no joke either, as they would sell out their June 28th Wembley Stadium performance almost instantly, marking the biggest show for the band EVER.

Linkin Park are at the top of the world again, and they seem to show no signs of coming down any time soon. From appearances in everything from Fortnite to Fallon, they've once again reached the forefront of the cultural zeitgeist. It's a testament to the staying power of the band as a whole, and shows potential for more legacy acts to return in the future, as long as they bring new life with them.

Linkin Park Tour Dates
September 6 – Phoenix, AZ @ Footprint Center
September 13 – Los Angeles, CA @ Dodger Stadium 
September 15 – San Jose, CA @ SAP Center
September 17 – Sacramento, CA @ Golden 1 Center
September 19 – Portland, OR @ Moda Center 
September 21 – Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena  
September 24 – Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena 

Nu Metal Agenda may earn an affiliate commission via purchases on ticket links through this article.