Watch: New Sound, New Faces: Linkin Park Rocks Jimmy Fallon

Linkin Park hit Jimmy Fallon’s stage last night (17) with their new single, “The Emptiness Machine.” If you missed it, don’t worry. It’s online, complete with enough fog to choke a small village. Someone clearly thought dramatic mist would make the song hit harder. Did it? You decide.

Let’s talk lineup, because the band’s looking a little different these days. Emily Armstrong is the new frontwoman, and Colin Brittain has stepped in on drums, replacing Rob Bourdon. Why Bourdon’s out? Your guess is as good as mine. Meanwhile, Brad Delson is skipping tours, leaving Alex Feder to fill in on guitar. At this point, they’re one substitute teacher away from being a cover band. At least Mike Shinoda, Dave “Phoenix” Farrell, and Joe Hahn are still hanging around to remind us this is technically still Linkin Park. Barely.

But why come back under the old name instead of pulling a “rebranding” stunt? According to Mike Shinoda, it just made sense. “We thought about calling it something else,” he said in an interview with Q101. “But once the music came together, it was too much of a Linkin Park album to pretend otherwise. Calling it anything else would’ve been dumb.” Dumb? Sure. But was “Linkin Park” really the only option? Bold move, Mike.

The album, From Zero, drops November 15. Pre-orders are live if you’re the kind who likes to hand over cash before hearing a note. The band’s also squeezing in a few tour dates across Europe after finishing up gigs in Los Angeles and New York. If you’re planning to catch them live, here’s where they’ll be:

• 9/22 – Barclays Arena, Hamburg, Germany
• 9/24 – The O2, London, UK
• 9/28 – INSPIRE Arena, Seoul, South Korea
• 11/11 – Coliseo Medplus, Bogotá, Colombia

New lineup, same name, and a fog machine they clearly got a bulk deal on. Will it work? That depends on whether fans are here for the music—or just the nostalgia trip.

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