Linkin Park return after seven-year break to perform at Champions League final with new lead singer

Few bands capture the musical shift that marked the late ’90s and early 2000s better than Linkin Park. The California group reached the heights of the industry in the 2000s, only to plummet into mourning after the tragic death of legendary frontman Chester Bennington, followed by a seven-year silence that left Nu Metal fans holding their breath. But, as they’d say in Agoura Hills, real garage music never truly disappears. And Linkin Park is back—for good.

This past September, the band announced the addition of Emily Armstrong and Colin Brittain as lead vocalist and drummer, respectively. And just like that, From Zero was unveiled—a surprise studio album released on November 15. Its eleven tracks hit hard, stirring nostalgia in those who’d been there since the Hybrid Theory days, all the way back in 2000. That same feeling will resurface for many when Linkin Park takes the stage at the Champions League final.

Linkin Park: From garage band to stadiums

It all started with Mike Shinoda—guitarist, keyboardist, and songwriter. It was the ’90s, and he wanted to start a band. He did. Five members, a shoestring budget, and a debut EP: Xero. The band played their first gig in 1997 at a West Hollywood nightclub. It wasn’t a failure, but success was slow to come, and their early momentum stalled.

Lead singer Mark Wakefield decided to pursue other opportunities and left the band. That’s when, on the advice of Jeff Blue—then VP of A&R at Zomba Music and the group’s link to the record industry—a young vocalist from Phoenix, Arizona, entered the picture: Chester Bennington. And music changed forever.

With Blue’s backing, the band landed their first record deal, and in 2000, Hybrid Theory dropped—featuring hits like “Crawling,” “Papercut,” “One Step Closer,” and “In the End.” The album went on to become the seventh best-selling record of the 2000s. In 2003, they followed it up with Meteora, which stormed into the market and solidified their global success. Awards, chart-toppers, international tours—it wasn’t just a breakthrough, it was a cultural moment. They hadn’t just made it—they were redefining an era.

The band after Bennington’s death

The run of success continued with more albums and more broken records. Everything surrounding Linkin Park—still built on the foundation laid in the ’90s—was synonymous with triumph. Then, in July 2017, the unthinkable: Chester Bennington had died by suicide. The music world stood still.

What followed was an indefinite hiatus that finally ended last year, with the release of From Zero and the addition of Armstrong and Brittain. The album has been a hit, and tickets for their comeback tour have sold out in record time. Linkin Park, and the spirit of ’90s California, are back.

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