A voice of angst, rage and sorrow, Linkin Park vocalist Chester Bennington was in many ways a musician representative of what art can do for us. The era was different and the musical expression was plenty different as well – Bennington was the snarl, the scream and the croon to co-vocalist Mike Shinoda’s rap in a tormented, aggressive blend of hip-hop, electronic music, rock and metal.
Bennington, who is said to have committed suicide on Thursday morning at his home in California, was 41. About 17 years into his career as a singer not just for Linkin Park (among the pioneers of rap-rock and nu-metal in the early 2000s), but also stints with Dead By Sunrise and veteran rockers Stone Temple Pilots. Outside of these projects, Linkin Park was Bennington’s only full-time vocalist gig.
The angst of songs such as ‘Crawling’, ‘In The End’, ‘Numb’, ‘Somewhere I Belong’ were the soundtrack to many a teen’s growing up phase, but even in their later albums, Bennington proved he could be that comforting voice as much as a raging-caging force, on their turn to alternative rock on Minutes to Midnight (2007). Undergoing a total rockstar transformation that mirrored their mainstream rock success, Bennington was now the leather jacket-clad crooner rather than a troubled, vulnerable soul.
Linkin Park wrote about nuclear warfare and the plight of the human race on 2010’s electronic-drenched A Thousand Suns , which was equal parts heady and poignant, retaining their mainstream influences.
A quick follow-up in 2012 birthed Living Things , a push forward in their rock ambitions that became so distinctive that it properly made Linkin Park avoid getting clubbed into genres and boxes. Even then, Bennington let his flashes of rage shine, probably grinning by the time he had finished emptying the air out of his lungs on songs like ‘Victimized’ and ‘Lies Greed Misery’.
Bennington had come far from his nu-metal days, but constantly proved to fans that he has still very much an angry kid. Even off stage, for example, Bennington spoke his mind in interviews, interacted freely with fans over Twitter, being ever the effusive face of Linkin Park. He was at his vein-popping screamo best on many songs off their return to heavy roots album The Hunting Party in 2014, a guitar-driven affair that more or less put Bennington at the helm.
As artists are known to do in their creative processes, Linkin Park turned entirely away from guitars and heavy music on their 2017 album One More Light , which is now most likely the band’s last album.
Bennington was still channelling pure emotion, but the electronic pop package led to major criticism, some of which Bennington took head on, undeterred.
The reasons behind Bennington’s suicide still remain unclear and perhaps – like in the case of his major influence Chris Cornell, who committed suicide in May – we may find out, whether we like it or not.
Bennington was devastated by Cornell’s passing, performing Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’ at his funeral. Bennington wrote of Cornell in a note, “You have inspired in many ways you could never have known. I’d like to think you were saying goodbye in your own way. I can’t imagine a world without you in it. I pray you find peace in the next life.” We hope the same for Bennington.
