Linkin Park Breaks Silence on Rob Bourdon’s Departure
"From Zero" signals the bold return of the band with a reimagined lineup
- Linkin Park returns with Dead Sara’s Emily Armstrong as vocalist and Colin Brittain on drums, releasing their new album From Zero on November 15.
- Rob Bourdon steps away from the band, citing a need for distance, while Colin Brittain brings a fresh spark to the lineup.
- Mike Shinoda reveals the bold decisions behind rebuilding the band, emphasizing commitment over half-hearted comebacks.
If you haven’t already heard, Linkin Park is back. And no, this isn’t some watered-down reunion tour cash grab. The band has recruited Dead Sara’s Emily Armstrong as their new vocalist, with Colin Brittain stepping in on drums. Their upcoming album, From Zero, drops November 15, and the world will finally get a taste of what this reimagined lineup sounds like.
Yeah, yeah, we know, rebuilding after Chester Bennington’s tragic death wasn’t just a matter of plugging in some fresh faces. Linkin Park’s bassist, Dave “Phoenix” Farrell, opened up in an interview with Billboard about how the process of starting over was more like learning to walk again after a bad fall—awkward, painful, but ultimately worth it.
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“It’s fun to look back now,” Farrell admitted, “but there was a point when we didn’t know what this was going to be. Was it still Linkin Park? Or something entirely new? The idea of playing our old stuff with a new lineup used to shut me down completely. I’d think, ‘If this is new, how do we honor the old?’”
For Farrell, even touching a bass after Bennington’s passing felt like torture. “Mike [Shinoda] dove into his own music as a way to cope. I went the opposite direction—total shutdown. I couldn’t even look at my instruments without feeling gutted. But eventually, things shifted. Emily and Colin brought a spark to the band that made it feel alive again. It stopped being this exhausting question of, ‘What’s next?’ and started feeling like plugging in a battery and watching it charge.”
Shinoda’s Take: Bold Over Safe
Mike Shinoda shared his own perspective on how the band managed to stay Linkin Park instead of devolving into some half-hearted “tribute” act. Early on, he toyed with the idea of bringing in multiple vocalists to share the load—a revolving door of singers for live shows. But Farrell shot that idea down fast.
“Dave called it out for what it was,” Shinoda said. “‘Half-assed.’ He told me, ‘If we’re going to do this, we need to commit. No testing the waters. Either go bold, or don’t go at all.’ And honestly, that’s why this record feels so empowering. Every track screamed ‘Linkin Park’ to us, and that gave us the confidence to move forward.”
According to Shinoda, the band knew they’d found the right vibe when the new material started sounding undeniably familiar. “The DNA of this music is us, through and through. To slap a different name on it would’ve felt like running from the truth. You teach your kids to get back up when they fall, not to crawl away and pretend the fall didn’t happen.”
And What About Rob Bourdon?
Now here’s the bittersweet part. Longtime drummer Rob Bourdon—who’s been there since the days when Linkin Park was called Xero—has stepped away from the band. Shinoda explained that Bourdon had been gradually pulling back for years, and his absence during recent milestones like the Hybrid Theory anniversary was a sign of things to come.
“Rob told us he needed distance,” Shinoda said. “And while that’s hard to hear as a friend, you can’t hold it against him. He showed up less, was in contact less, and the fans noticed too. It’s sad, but we all want him to do what makes him happy. No hard feelings.”
Brittain, on the other hand, slid into the lineup like he was born for it. Shinoda first met him during a collaborative writing session in 2021, and they clicked immediately. “He’s not just a drummer. He plays guitar, bass, keys—you name it. He produces, he mixes, and we just get each other musically. When it came time to start writing for Linkin Park again, it was obvious. ‘Colin, get over here. We’ve got work to do.’”
The result? A reinvigorated Linkin Park, ready to launch a new era while keeping their legacy intact. Maybe?
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New album marks first release since 2017 with fresh lineup and global tour