Bennington, formerly of a post-grunge band Grey Daze, became a standout among applicants because of the dynamic in his singing style.
Īfter spending a considerable time searching for Wakefield's replacement, Xero recruited Arizona vocalist Chester Bennington, who was recommended by Jeff Blue, the vice president of Zomba Music in March 1999. Farrell also left to tour with Tasty Snax, a Christian punk and ska band. The lack of success and stalemate in progress prompted Wakefield, at that time the band's vocalist, to leave the band in search of other projects. However, tensions and frustration within the band grew after they failed to land a record deal. Though limited in resources, the band began recording and producing songs within Shinoda's makeshift bedroom studio in 1996, resulting in a four-track demo tape, entitled Xero. After graduating from high school, the three began to take their musical interests more seriously, recruiting Joe Hahn, Dave "Phoenix" Farrell, and Mark Wakefield to perform in their band, then called Xero. The three attended Agoura High School in Agoura Hills, California, a suburb of Los Angeles. Linkin Park was founded by three high school friends: Mike Shinoda, Rob Bourdon, and Brad Delson. 1.9 2015–2017: One More Light and Bennington's death.1.7 2011–2013: Living Things and Recharged.1.2 2000–2002: Hybrid Theory and Reanimation.In 2014, the band was declared as "The Biggest Rock Band in the World Right Now" by Kerrang!. In 2012, the band was voted as the greatest artist of the 2000s in a Bracket Madness poll on VH1. Billboard ranked Linkin Park No. 19 on the Best Artists of the Decade list. In 2003, MTV2 named Linkin Park the sixth-greatest band of the music video era and the third-best of the new millennium. They have won two Grammy Awards, six American Music Awards, two Billboard Music Awards, four MTV Video Music Awards, 10 MTV Europe Music Awards and three World Music Awards. Linkin Park is among the best-selling bands of the 21st century and the world's best-selling music artists, having sold over 100 million records worldwide. In April 2020, bassist Dave Farrell revealed the band was working on new music, though they have stated they will not be touring for the foreseeable future. Linkin Park went on a hiatus when longtime lead vocalist Bennington died by suicide in July 2017. Their sixth album, The Hunting Party (2014), returned to a heavier rock sound, and their seventh album, One More Light (2017), was their first pop-oriented record. The band's fifth album, Living Things (2012), combined musical elements from all of their previous records. The band continued to explore a wider variation of musical types on their fourth album, A Thousand Suns (2010), layering their music with more electronic sounds. By the end of the decade, Linkin Park was among the most successful and popular rock acts. The band explored experimental sounds on their third album, Minutes to Midnight (2007). Their second album, Meteora (2003), continued the band's success.
Released during the peak of the nu metal scene, the album's singles' heavy airplay on MTV led the singles " One Step Closer", " Crawling" and " In the End" all to chart highly on the Mainstream Rock chart the latter crossed over to the pop chart. Categorized as alternative rock, Linkin Park's earlier music spanned a fusion of heavy metal and hip hop, while their later music features more electronica and pop elements.įormed in 1996, Linkin Park rose to international fame with their debut studio album, Hybrid Theory (2000), which became certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Vocalists Mark Wakefield and Chester Bennington are former members of the band. The band's current lineup comprises vocalist/rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Mike Shinoda, lead guitarist Brad Delson, bassist Dave Farrell, DJ/turntablist Joe Hahn and drummer Rob Bourdon, all of whom are founding members. Linkin Park is an American rock band from Agoura Hills, California.