Chester Bennington and the best of Linkin Park

Chester Bennington, Linkin Park (LP) frontman and vocalist and certainly one of rock’s greatest voices, was found dead from an apparent suicide last July 20 at his home in Palos Verdes Estates in Los Angeles. This is devastating loss from which family, friends, colleagues and fans are still reeling. It came only a scant two months, since another great voice, Chris Cornell of the rock band Soundgarden, ended his life by hanging in May. 

Linkin Park was formed 17 years ago by Mike Shinoda, co-vocalist who is also on rhythm guitar and keyboards; Brad Delson on guitar; Dave Farrell on bass; Rob Bourdon on drums; and Joe Hahn on the turntables, while still in high school in California. Bennington joined them three years later. LP is one of the very few bands with its original membership intact since 1996.

It has since then been on top of the charts with one hit album after another and sold-out concerts. The group has sold over 70 million copies of its albums and been proclaimed one of the greatest rock bands in the world today. Linkin Park has also been very active in charity work with its Music for Relief organization. One of its biggest projects was the Concert for the Philippines in LA to raise donations for the victims of Typhoon Haiyan.

Right from the onset, Linkin Park distinguished itself with a unique layered sound that at that time shockingly blended metal rock with rap laced with electronica. It was new and daring and very good. Best of all unlike other metal acts, Linkin Park was quite radio friendly. Shinoda rapped and Chester sang and they drew fans who found much to relate to in the tortured tales of their songs. It was a combination made in heaven. 

But it now turned out that despite fame and success, Bennington was finding it difficult to win over the demons that have plagued him since childhood. So he decided to force the issue and maybe finally find his heaven. He was 41 years old. He is survived by his wife former model Talinda and six children.

And so that time Linkin Park spent with Bennington, who gave the group its incredible vocal edge, is over and will not happen again. That is all gone now. I do not believe though that this unfortunate event means the end of Linkin Park. This is too talented and too successful a group to call it quits. I am sure that in the near future there will again be lots of new exciting sounds to enjoy from this talented and most innovative of bands again.

And now for another and a more in depth look at the voice of Bennington and also to the music of an extraordinary band, give a listen to the greatest hit songs of Linkin Park. 

Heavy, the pop-leaning new single featuring Kiiara from the album One More Light which was released only a few months ago. Just like most Linkin Park albums, it made No. 1.

Burn It Down from Living Things in 2012, one of Bennington’s best vocals.

The Catalyst from A Thousand Suns, 2010, this is certainly one of the greatest rock ballads ever recorded.

What I’ve Done, from Minutes To Midnight, also known as the Transformers theme, 2007.

Numb/Encore, the Grammy-winning collaboration where the great Jay-Z raps to the tune of the band’s big hit Numb from the album Collision Course in 2004.

Somewhere I Belong, the successful first single from LP’s second album Meteora in 2003,

In The End, one of the sensational tracks from the band’s explosive Hybrid Theory debut in 2001.

One Step Closer, the Linkin Park debut single where the group’s daring to combine rap with rock shocked and later mesmerized music lovers.

Papercut, also from Hybrid Theory, the song that I believe best showcased Bennington pained, vulnerable and screaming vocals.

Crawling, I say still the greatest Linkin Park recording with Bennington, which was awarded the Best Hard Rock Performance at the Grammys, also from Hybrid Theory.

 And so as the music channel MTV so beautifully puts it at the end of its tributes to the much-lamented rock star, “In the end and into forever, Thank You, Chester.”