Hi all, this is just a quick posting about a piece of news that appeared recently: the death of Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington. Sadly, his body was found on Thursday 20th July 2017, and the reports are that he committed suicide by hanging himself. He was only 41.
I was a teen when Linkin Park released their first album, Hybrid Theory. At the time, I wasn’t a big fan of the Nu Metal scene. Bar a handful of bands, the whole thing was so far removed from what I liked in metal, and I was rarely buying anything by new bands. Hybrid Theorywas a big exception for a number of reasons, one of which was Chester’s voice. Even as raw as it was back then, it stood out in a big way compared to the other vocalists that were coming through at the time.
Between the voice and the energy that he had on stage, Chester was a special talent in the world of metal. But, he was also troubled. He had a long history of alcohol and drug problems, as well as depression stemming from childhood abuse.
In his memory, I’m posting the first and last songs that I heard with him taking the lead on vocals below (though there were a ton of classics in between). Both these clips are live versions from a gig less than a month ago, and show both his heavier and softer side.
RIP Chester, and thank you for the great music.
Matt Doyle Media 
Hybrid Theory changed my life. It opened up a whole new world of music for me. In The End really blew me away. Chester’s vocal’s and those lyrics, it still gives me goosebumps.
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It was a phenomenal album. Years ahead of a lot of other stuff out at the time.
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It was, and I thought Meteroa took it up a level as well. It just kept getting better and it was the first time where I understood the effect music could have on you.
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Was really sad when I heard this news. The music from Linkin Park was just simply amazing and his voice was an integral part of that. Simply a great musician that will be missed greatly.
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Absolutely. He was one of the things that really sold me on the band. He’ll be a really tough one to replace, should the band choose to do so.
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Such shocking news. I listened to Hybrid Theory loads back in the day.
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It was a hugely popular album, and for good reason. Chester was so young too, which made it all the more shocking for me.
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Chester’s death is a terrible loss as a musician and a human. I hope he rest in piece in rock heaven. Most of all I hope there aren’t any copycats following…
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As do I, both on the RIP and the copycat point. I’m hoping that the media frenzy dies down quickly too so that his loved ones can grieve in peace. It was a shocking one though, that’s for sure
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