Legendary rock band Linkin Park has a new makeover and a whole lot of music to come. Seven years after the tragedy, Linkin Park held a live stream yesterday to introduce two new faces in their group as well as a brand new single “The Emptiness Machine.”
Linkin Park had gone into an indefinite hiatus since the passing of their lead vocalist Chester Bennington in 2017. There was a permanent void left by the legendary singer’s passing that no one could really fill. After years of healing and scouting Linkin Park revealed their new lead vocalist, Emily Armstrong, on September 5, 2024, in a live concert.
During the live event, Link Park performed their new single “The Emptiness Machine” along with “Somewhere I Belong,” “Crawling,” “In The End,” and a few other old LP songs and introduced Emily Armstrong as the new vocalist, and Colin Brittain on drums.
In an interview with Billboard magazine, Mike Shinoda revealed that founding member Rob Bourdons has been distancing himself from the band for quite some time and the band wanted to give him the space he wanted. In Bourdon’s place is the acclaimed musician Colin Brittain.
Who is Emily Armstrong?
Emily Marcia Armstrong, 38, has been addicted to music her whole life. She began writing songs and playing guitar at the age of 11 and began singing at 15. She dropped out of high school to pursue music full-time. In 2002, Emily formed her band ‘Dead Sara’ with guitarist Siouxsie Medley. Their first major gig was in 2005 at the Los Angeles nightclub The Mint. In 2010 the band founded their own indie record label Pocket Kid Records, through which they released their debut album also titled ‘Dead Sara.’ They released their second album ‘Pleasure to Meet You’ was released on the same record label in 2015. The third studio album ‘Ain’t It Tragic’ was released in 2021 under Warner Records.
With the fresh faces and voices in the team, Linkin Park is set to release their 8th studio album ‘From Zero’ on November 15, 2024.
Listen to “The Emptiness Machine” by Linkin Park
Linkin Park “The Emptiness Machine” Lyrics Meaning and Song Review
The lyrics of the song could be interpreted in two ways. In one aspect the lyrics can be seen as talking about a toxic relationship between two people. On the other hand, the lyrics could be speaking about the band’s experience with the public since the loss of their lead singer.
In the first verse of the song, we hear the singer talking about a difference of opinion between them and a third party. And this difference of opinion is not taken lightly by the third party. It is almost forced upon the narrator. It’s their way or no way at all. This is why the narrator compares their opinion to a sharp blade.
I know you’re waiting in the distance
The above lyric tells us that the third party throws blades at the singer from a distance. Either they are scared to come close or simply they cannot get any closer to the band. The lyric hints at cowardice behavior on the aggressor’s part.
In the chorus of the song, the singer partly blames themselves. They allowed the third party to behave in this way.
Gave up who I am for who you wanted me to be
The singer admits that they changed themselves to make the other party happy. They gave up on who they were and put on a mask. In the end, it didn’t even matter. It was not worth it. Losing yourself for any gain is bound to destroy you at some point. The same applies to relationships. You fall in love with who they are, not with a version of who they could be.
In the second verse of the song, Linkin Park says how they feel like their fate has been sealed since the demise of their lead vocalist in 2017. Chester Bennington was a once-in-a-lifetime talent. So, it makes sense that some people consider the band to be over when he passed away. Even with the introduction of Emily Armstrong as the new vocalist of Linkin Park, some fans refuse to believe that she can fill in the shoes of Chester. However, the band has made it very clear that this is no way their intention. The band is taking a new direction with the new team members–which is the right thing to do.
An altar is a place of worship, truth, and forgiveness. But for the band, their altar has become a hot seat with fire underneath, and they keep lying to themselves at the altar.
In the bridge of the song, the band sings that they only wanted to be a part of something. This could hint that the band just wanted to be back to what they loved doing–music. Chester is gone and there will be no replacement. Everybody has to make peace with it. However, this does not have to mean that the band has to disband and discontinue. There is still much more they can do.
Let us hear what you think about this new song in the comments below. Read the complete lyrics to the song on Genius.