Still missing Chester

[LPoldie]

Hi there,

I'm following LP for 25 years now. I'm sill missing Chester. Don't get me wrong, Emily is great. However Chester had a lot more intensity, was living the songs. When I see Emily, she's performing, doing, even great sometimes, with a bunch of new aspects, but I never saw her sweat or being exhausted like Chester.

Any opinion to get me out?

[Shifter]

I understand you very much in this matter, I preferred to stay in the old era of the band.

Only listen to the new instrumentals.

It's less traumatizing.

 

You have to decide who you are with and where you are, then it will be easier.

 

Prayer is also good.

 

https://ru.pinterest.com/pin/81979655711262081/

Edited April 19 by Shifter

[JZLP-Benningstrong]

"but I never saw her sweat or being exhausted like Chester."

 

Thats a powerful quote man, i get what you mean and its hard to put words on it but i understand and i agree.

 

The key is to not compare them its totally unfair but how could you not compare ? It's always a struggle.

 

I feel you and that's fine its okay to say what you actually think.

 

My only advice is that you should enjoy the ride man, this band has an expiration date, Mike is 48 he wont be onstage for a long time probably he will keep going for like 10 years and that will be the actual end of Linkin Park.

[LPoldie]

Thanks @Shifter and @JZLP-Benningstrong

Listening to instrumentals only is not the option. Its not her voice. I'm glad they found her. Its her presence on stage. Like doing a job. (And yes, I only saw her concerts on YT so far). But it's probably not about her but about me.

And it's impossible not to compare, when you see the same songs now and then. LP for me was always not only about the sound but also the lyrics AND the impression that they became alive with Chester and Mike. A kind of therapy that brought me in at the beginning.

LP has changed through the years, that's normal. Everyone does. And I will not stick to the "old days", I'm still fascinated to see what they do next, and I'm glad they found a way to go on.

5 hours ago, JZLP-Benningstrong said:

 

My only advice is that you should enjoy the ride man, this band has an expiration date, Mike is 48 he wont be onstage for a long time probably he will keep going for like 10 years and that will be the actual end of Linkin Park.

Maybe this is the best advice ever 😉.  LP still exists without Chester but Mike is the engine, impossible to replace, that's sure. But I guess he can't be without making music.

We'll see.

 

[LPMaskMan]

I still miss him too.

Honestly I do not care about the new LP and didn't like From Zero. Except a few old audio recordings I haven't listened to any LP since From Zero came out. This is why I'm not really active in this forum nowadays.

[JZLP-Benningstrong]

40 minutes ago, LPMaskMan said:

I still miss him too.

Honestly I do not care about the new LP and didn't like From Zero. Except a few old audio recordings I haven't listened to any LP since From Zero came out. This is why I'm not really active in this forum nowadays.

Its interesting to know the opinion of people who abandoned the new era, which is fair.

Why you dont care about LP2? what you didnt like?

[Subs]

Im the exact same, sorry to say but for me no chester no LP. FZ has 2 maybe 3 excellent tracks, but this new era just doesnt feel right to me. Its like a cheap copy.

 

Im not against mike and the others being happy, but the new era just doesnt feel natural to me.

[Qwerty18]

Missing Chester is only natural. An amazing, one-in-a-million vocalist, with a voice anyone could recognize, with a warm personality, lots of charisma, a kind heart, you name it.

 

There will always be a void that can't be fully refilled, and that's okay to acknowledge that. I miss Chester too.

 

With that said, for the most parts, I've decided to look at it from an "acceptance" perspective, as really, it simply is something where nothing can be done, except moving forward.

 

And looking ahead, I'm really glad there is a future with the band - of course, a new, different iteration of it - rather than without the band.  In the end, it should all come down to "do you enjoy the music? are you better off with that new music than without"?.

 

If not, that's fair. For some, most of the magic was in Chester vocals, and in that case, we'll always have the old material to enjoy, and maybe new Chester demos in the future (hopefully). It's totally fine to let LP be a thing of the past, I think, although, preferably, I wish it was done without the occasional bitter comments about the new iteration ("cheap copy").

 

For others, the new material is quite a jam, and it feels great to be enjoying that ride. It's not exactly the same band, yet it's familiar. Like apples and pears, somewhat similar, somewhat different, but I like both.  Personally I think LP came back with their strongest release since ATS, and that's something I'll always be happy about.

 

 

 

[thigolpbr]

I hope the band keeps releasing boxsets
at least MTM 20 and ATS 20
it will always be amazing to see some never-before-released songs sung by Chester, concerts never seen before, etc...
just like I mentioned in another post, I asked the band to release some iconic shows from the band's old era so fans can buy them.
I liked the band's new phase and I'm happy for them, but my favorite era is another one.

[ChaseChief]

Don’t we all miss Chester? And I believe Mike and the guys still undoubtedly do as well. But there’s nothing we can do to change what has been done and we can only move forward. 

[xxHybridXeroxx]

1 hour ago, ChaseChief said:

Don’t we all miss Chester? And I believe Mike and the guys still undoubtedly do as well. But there’s nothing we can do to change what has been done and we can only move forward. 

THIS. 100000000% THIS!!!! 

[LPMaskMan]

On 4/22/2025 at 10:27 PM, JZLP-Benningstrong said:

Its interesting to know the opinion of people who abandoned the new era, which is fair.

Why you dont care about LP2? what you didnt like?

LP for me was the six guys, and only the half of them remained now. The album was good instrumentally and rap parts, but I can't stand Emily's voice. Also the transposed live songs really bugged me and doesn't feel like I'm watching and listening an LP show, it's a different band.

Edited April 24 by LPMaskMan

[Trumtram]

1 hour ago, LPMaskMan said:

Also the transposed live songs really bugged me and doesn't feel like I'm watching and listening an LP show, it's a different band.

Yeah, I feel you. I'm not a fan of these, either.

[Soeffingnaive92]

I was crazy about new LP at first, but my hype toned down a lot in a few weeks. 

I do think Emily does the best she can but I am not engaged in the new stuff as I was before. Been months since the last time I played FZ front to back or a consistent number of tracks one after another and I don't like UFTB and Unshattered that much. The feeling I get from this new era is that it's a competent and well crafted rebuilding of LP but it lacks the soul I would have loved to feel and I am not talking about no Chester tribute, but the fact that everything feels pretty "empty"and devoided of soul and that is the same issue I had with most of Mike's solo material in the years following Chester's passing. I will always check out new LP and care about what they do and never thrash them, but my level of intetrest is normalized as if they were another band and not my fav of all time, sadly.  

Edited Monday at 03:51 PM by Soeffingnaive92

[blackout]

I think I understand what most of you have been talking about here, but my opinion is not as strong... I really like From Zero and I listen to this album a lot. I am still crazy about the band, but not as much as I used to be a few years ago. It seems like the band has lost its soul a bit. A lot of the lyrics in this new era of the band are now rather soulless. They sing about betrayal and lies like it was Hybrid Theory again, but... the problem is that these lyrics now don't seem honest. There is no teen angst in Mike anymore, but I believe that he thinks that's what the Linkin Park's songs should be about. I don't find any songs from From Zero to be as relatable as most of the songs from the past. I think The Emptiness Machine describes well the current situation of the band and Over Each Other is pretty releatable (not a surprise because it was written with Jon Green who wrote NCSM and BS), but the rest of the lyrics are very generic. Well, this doesn't mean that the songs are bad. I love Casualty, for example, this song is a jam! However, I don't care for the lyrics because they sound like generated by AI. I was drawn by the darkness of the LP's lyrics and this aspect seems to be gone now. I believed in the words that Chester sang - the vulnerability of his voice and the actual anger in other songs.

Emily's voice is another thing. I think she is a very good singer and has a lot of qualities that Chester had. Her performance and delivery are impressive, but I don't get chills when I hear her voice as I did when I heard Chester's songs in new songs. I actually got goosebumps when I heard some of the songs for the first time. I still remember listening Friendly Fire for the first time, not so long ago. Not a single song from From Zero gave me goosebumps like that. Only the intro to the comeback show - that was incredible, watching it live on the stream! I am aware that most of the things I am writing about are caused by nostagia too. The old line-up was with me since I was a kid until the end of high school - all the albums were big parts of different periods of my life, and with new people on board now it seems like something was taken from me. I need to say, however, that I am glad that the band is back. It is better with them than without them. I am glad that Mike is happy again creating music with the band, the legacy of which he has been consistently crafting throughout the years. The thing is that nothing will probably ever replicate the feeling of hearing a new song with Chester on vocals, but there's nothing I can do about it. I can't wait to see the band live soon - I've already bought the tickets and I am looking forward to listening to all these beautiful songs live.

[JZLP-Benningstrong]

15 minutes ago, blackout said:

I think I understand what most of you have been talking about here, but my opinion is not as strong... I really like From Zero and I listen to this album a lot. I am still crazy about the band, but not as much as I used to be a few years ago. It seems like the band has lost its soul a bit. A lot of the lyrics in this new era of the band are now rather soulless. They sing about betrayal and lies like it was Hybrid Theory again, but... the problem is that these lyrics now don't seem honest. There is no teen angst in Mike anymore, but I believe that he thinks that's what the Linkin Park's songs should be about. I don't find any songs from From Zero to be as relatable as most of the songs from the past. I think The Emptiness Machine describes well the current situation of the band and Over Each Other is pretty releatable (not a surprise because it was written with Jon Green who wrote NCSM and BS), but the rest of the lyrics are very generic. Well, this doesn't mean that the songs are bad. I love Casualty, for example, this song is a jam! However, I don't care for the lyrics because they sound like generated by AI. I was drawn by the darkness of the LP's lyrics and this aspect seems to be gone now. I believed in the words that Chester sang - the vulnerability of his voice and the actual anger in other songs.

Emily's voice is another thing. I think she is a very good singer and has a lot of qualities that Chester had. Her performance and delivery are impressive, but I don't get chills when I hear her voice as I did when I heard Chester's songs in new songs. I actually got goosebumps when I heard some of the songs for the first time. I still remember listening Friendly Fire for the first time, not so long ago. Not a single song from From Zero gave me goosebumps like that. Only the intro to the comeback show - that was incredible, watching it live on the stream! I am aware that most of the things I am writing about are caused by nostagia too. The old line-up was with me since I was a kid until the end of high school - all the albums were big parts of different periods of my life, and with new people on board now it seems like something was taken from me. I need to say, however, that I am glad that the band is back. It is better with them than without them. I am glad that Mike is happy again creating music with the band, the legacy of which he has been consistently crafting throughout the years. The thing is that nothing will probably ever replicate the feeling of hearing a new song with Chester on vocals, but there's nothing I can do about it. I can't wait to see the band live soon - I've already bought the tickets and I am looking forward to listening to all these beautiful songs live.

 

Finally I agree with you on something, amazing description man I feel the same way.

[blackout]

5 minutes ago, JZLP-Benningstrong said:

 

Finally I agree with you on something, amazing description man I feel the same way.

 

Thank you for saying that! When I got the notification, I thought we would need to argue again, but I'm glad that was not the case 😅 BTW, a few minutes ago I was reading my review of From Zero, and I am surprised that my perception hasn't changed since November, like... I like the album but it's missing something, especially in the lyrics.

Edited Monday at 10:11 PM by blackout

[Trumtram]

2 hours ago, blackout said:

Her performance and delivery are impressive, but I don't get chills when I hear her voice as I did when I heard Chester's songs in new songs.

2 hours ago, blackout said:

The thing is that nothing will probably ever replicate the feeling of hearing a new song with Chester on vocals, but there's nothing I can do about it.

Man, these two points hit hard for me, too. Especially the second one. Back in the day I was SO hyped for a new LP album because I wanted to listen to new Chester performance. Seeing (or rather listening), what he did on a new album and maybe get some great screams here and there. I feel you on that one!

Edited Tuesday at 12:03 AM by Trumtram

[javignacio]

5 hours ago, blackout said:

It is better with them than without them.

 

I am glad that Mike is happy again

 

nothing will probably ever replicate the feeling of hearing a new song with Chester on vocals, but there's nothing I can do about it

 

thank you, that's it for me, couldn't say it better

[Qwerty18]

I think what may trigger some of the feelings expressed in this thread is the fact that, once the initial "wtf they're back?!" phase dissipated, LP comeback also made it very concrete that it will never be the same. And that can certainly dampen the initial excitement.  I'd say it's a phase of the process, and it's very possible that feeling will soften with time too.

 

A part of it is about managing expectations. If we're being real, it was always impossible for any vocalist to match Chester when it comes to the sense of connection his voice brought. It was just so unique. It is something that can never be replicated. That also made me believe a comeback was impossible to begin with, but the band proved me wrong on that. 

 

Regarding the lyrics, I guess being a non-native helps, but in general, I don't quite buy it that they have "no souls". I find FZ lyrics on par with most of their discography (parts of MTM, ATS, and OML being exceptions), and certainly better than some of their past work, like SIB or UIG choruses.  Maybe it's the contrast with OML personal lyrics that give this impression, but honestly, I feel it may have to do with Emily singing them in place of Chester, which I don't find totally fair. And we never know when those lyrics where written, as the verses of CTB dating from 2013 displayed.

 

But yeah, beside the lyrics stuff I don't fully agree with, a lot of fair points in this thread

 

 

Edited Tuesday at 11:29 AM by Qwerty18

[blackout]

12 hours ago, Trumtram said:

Man, these two points hit hard for me, too. Especially the second one. Back in the day I was SO hyped for a new LP album because I wanted to listen to new Chester performance. Seeing (or rather listening), what he did on a new album and maybe get some great screams here and there. I feel you on that one!

 

Exactly! What I love the most about LP is the combination of Mike's production and Chester's voice. There's definitely something special in Chester's voice that made me drawn to the band's songs too. Every time we got a new LP album, one of the things I had waited for the most was some new melodies sung by Chester.

 

8 hours ago, javignacio said:

 

thank you, that's it for me, couldn't say it better

 

Awesome, thank you!

 

1 hour ago, Qwerty18 said:

Regarding the lyrics, I guess being a non-native helps, but in general, I don't quite buy it that they have "no souls". I find FZ lyrics on par with most of their discography (parts of MTM, ATS, and OML being exceptions), and certainly better than some of their past work, like SIB or UIG choruses.  Maybe it's the contrast with OML personal lyrics that give this impression, but honestly, I feel it may have to do with Emily singing them in place of Chester, which I don't find totally fair. And we never know when those lyrics where written, as the verses of CTB dating from 2013 displayed.

 

I think that the lyrics on FZ are really bland and uninspired. The melodies are catchy, don't get me wrong, but the lyrics (with a few exceptions) seem to be stereotypically Linkin-parkish. Mike went from writing songs about his kids on OML or writing some dark stuff on PT to making Emily yell "from now on I don't need ya" or "stop yelling at me! I can't hear myself think". In almost every rap verse (apart from GTG which is probably the best written song on the album), he talks about being betrayed, ignored and lied to, like on Hybrid Theory or Meteora. When TEM was released, I thought that we would get much deeper lyrics on the album, talking about the situation of the band during hiatus, something about Chester, something about the band's career in general - not directly, of course, but alluding to the stuff that they've been going through in the recent years. With the comeback album they had a great opportunity to write more retrospective and introspective lyrcis. But we got almost nothing like that, basically except TEM and GTG. I enjoy the album very much and I think that though quite generic, it was perfect for a comeback album, but after such a long break I expected something more in terms of lyrics - something I can build a connection with, like with songs on OML. Well, some might say that on every album we've got songs about being lied to - I agree. However, in addition to a song about lies, for example, on Minutes to Midnight (NMS), we got a lot of different topics discussed throughout the lyrics on the album - more personal stuff (VD, IP, SOTD), some political-global subjects mixed with personal experiences (TLTGYA, HHH, WID). Most of the lyrics were much more inspired and relatable, not like now with almost 50-year-old Mike rapping about being betrayed and lied to on every song on FZ. And yeah, if I don't focus on the meaning that much, I still sing/rap along with Mike and Emily. I can enjoy music without it being very deep. I just expected more from my favourite band in this aspect, especially that throughout the years they've released numerous songs that are very important to me.

 

I haven't heard Let You Fade yet - it seems like this song is going to be somehow more emotional, like GTG or TEM. Fingers crossed for some more introspective lyrics in this track.

Edited Tuesday at 12:32 PM by blackout

[Qwerty18]

1 hour ago, blackout said:

 

 the lyrics (with a few exceptions) seem to be stereotypically Linkin-parkish.

 

I agree with that part - I just don't think it's a very bad thing. We also have to think about the context in which the album was made. A bunch of new friends, not all of them being familiar with each other.

 

In that context, I think it make sense for them to have fun with melodies, sound designs, without getting too personal with the lyrics. People don't usually open up 100% when they're hanging around new friends - they're just being in the moment, having fun, but it's always a bit on the surface at first. They may have conversations about this or that, but it's rarely going too deep initially, it'll be more about vague stuff that they can relate to, and generalities.

 

In my opinion, we can't expect the band to go full introspective with their first album as a new-line-up, when they're having the initial "having fun in the studio as new friends" phase, it's simply not how human relationships usually works. I think it makes senses the lyrical content is more akin the vague content on HT/Meteora, and less like the content on MTM or OML, which were born from years of knowing each other, and opening up more and more. 

 

I'll go one step further, and say it may even have come off un-authentic if on their first album together, Emily would sing lyrics that are super personal to Mike. And if it was about herself, it would be said Linkin Park had a new "me me me" singer. If Mike sang too much of those, it may have come across too self-centered, putting the focus on his stories, and alienating the rest of the line-up.  I'd prefer them to sing about vague stuff now, as this feels more natural as an introduction. This may even be why they kept more personal stuff, as Let You Fade, out of the album.

 

All things consider, FZ lyrics are not that far off from some of the stuff on Living Things ("you did it to yourself", "we build it up to burn it down", etc) or THP, and those were some of the latest records with Chester. It's not amazing, but it's not as poor as I've read it there and there. In TEM, I for example like some of images the words paint very much ("razor", "altar", etc).

Edited Tuesday at 01:36 PM by Qwerty18

[blackout]

1 hour ago, Qwerty18 said:

 

I agree with that part - I just don't think it's a very bad thing. We also have to think about the context in which the album was made. A bunch of new friends, not all of them being familiar with each other.

 

In that context, I think it make sense for them to have fun with melodies, sound designs, without getting too personal with the lyrics. People don't usually open up 100% when they're hanging around new friends - they're just being in the moment, having fun, but it's always a bit on the surface at first. They may have conversations about this or that, but it's rarely going too deep initially, it'll be more about vague stuff that they can relate to, and generalities.

 

In my opinion, we can't expect the band to go full introspective with their first album as a new-line-up, when they're having the initial "having fun in the studio as new friends" phase, it's simply not how human relationships usually works. I think it makes senses the lyrical content is more akin the vague content on HT/Meteora, and less like the content on MTM or OML, which were born from years of knowing each other, and opening up more and more. 

 

I'll go one step further, and say it may even have come off un-authentic if on their first album together, Emily would sing lyrics that are super personal to Mike. And if it was about herself, it would be said Linkin Park had a new "me me me" singer. If Mike sang too much of those, it may have come across too self-centered, putting the focus on his stories, and alienating the rest of the line-up.  I'd prefer them to sing about vague stuff now, as this feels more natural as an introduction. This may even be why they kept more personal stuff, as Let You Fade, out of the album.

 

All things consider, FZ lyrics are not that far off from some of the stuff on Living Things ("you did it to yourself", "we build it up to burn it down", etc) or THP, and those were some of the latest records with Chester. It's not amazing, but it's not as poor as I've read it there and there. In TEM, I for example like some of images the words paint very much ("razor", "altar", etc).

You've made a few good points, for sure. I especially agree with TEM - I think it's one of the songs from FZ era with the best lyrics and after listening to this song first, I had high hopes for the rest of the album in terms of lyrics. I also agree with the part about Emily singing lyrics personal to Mike or the rest of the band's old line-up. I haven't thought about it, but it's definitely true. However, let's not forget that Mike has a lot of vocal parts on the album too.

 

The argument that the band is now a bunch of new friends is a cheap excuse, in my opinion. They wrote some stuff together later in the process, but the album started with Mike, Joe and Phoenix working on stuff first. They all have known each other for a long time and worked on numerous projects together. Same with Brad, who joined later. I just simply can't believe that intelligent musicians and songwriters like Mike or Brad don't have anything else to say other than what we've got on From Zero, especially after what the band has gone through in the recent years. Maybe it was intentional, as you're saying. The album definitely works as a little "fireball", as Mike described it, so perhaps that was the intention more than putting out a lot of personal stuff, which would definitely make people focus more on the lyrical content than the energy of the music. From Zero is also definitely intended to be a "fresh start" thing, so maybe that's why they didn't want to dwell on the dark past too much.

 

Honestly, stuff like that is also usually just a matter of preference. I have always liked personal lyrics (usually dark and emotional) the most so it's natural for me to look for this type of songwriting, which is mostly not present on From Zero. The album is also the first Linkin Park album released after I graduated from high school. I have a bit different perspective on the world now and even though some lyrics songs from the past albums are vague too, I look at them from a nostalgic point of view. That's why I don't really care that much about them, enjoying songs from previous albums as they are because I have a deeper emotional connection with them - more memories from my teenage years and childhood.

Edited Tuesday at 02:29 PM by blackout

[Qwerty18]

13 minutes ago, blackout said:

You've made a few good points, for sure. I especially agree with TEM - I think it's one of the songs from FZ era with the best lyrics and after listening to this song first, I had high hopes for the rest of the album in terms of lyrics. I also agree with the part about Emily singing lyrics personal to Mike or the rest of the band's old line-up. I haven't thought about it, but it's definitely true. However, let's not forget that Mike has a lot of vocal parts on the album too.

 

The argument that the band is now a bunch of new friends is a cheap excuse, in my opinion. They wrote some stuff together later in the process, but the album started with Mike, Joe and Phoenix working on stuff first. They all have known each other for a long time and worked on numerous projects together. Same with Brad, who joined later. I just simply can't believe that intelligents musicians and songwriters like Mike or Brad don't have anything else to say other than what we've got on From Zero, especially after what the band has gone through in the recent years. Maybe it was intentional, as you're saying. The album definitely works as a little "fireball", as Mike described it, so perhaps that was the intention more than putting out a lot of personal stuff, which would definitely make people focus more on the lyrical content than the energy of the music. From Zero is also definitely intended to be a "fresh start" thing, so maybe that's why they didn't want to dwell on the dark past too much.

 

Honestly, stuff like that is also usually just a matter of preference. I have always liked personal lyrics (usually dark and emotional) the most so it's natural for me to look for this type of songwriting, which is mostly not present on From Zero. The album is also the first Linkin Park album released after I graduated from high school. I have a bit different perspective on the world now and even though some lyrics songs from the past albums are vague too, I look at them from a nostalgic point of view. That's why I don't really care that much about them, enjoying songs from previous albums as they are because I have a deeper emotional connection with them - more memories from my teenage years and childhood.

 

I see where you're coming from. I think the main reason I expressed my view in this thread is that I am not the biggest fan of the "album has no soul" thingy I've seen there and there. Not meaning from you, but in general. I do feel it does in fact have a lot of soul, but I think that it comes through more via the adrenaline-packed melodies and fresh punchy energy, displaying the fun they had, rather than via the lyrics, which I believe they kept more vague on purpose, partly for the reasons I mentioned.

 

In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if LP9 or LP10 dived much deeper into personal, deeper, more meaningful stories, and I kinda hope it will. I do think FZ lyrics do the job for this album, but I would be a bit more critical if it was the lyrical content of their,say, 3rd new album. So I guess we don't have totally different opinions either. Anyway, you've made a lot of good points, and I agree with your conclusion in all cases (better to have the band than not having them, good to see Mike happy, miss the feeling of discovering new Chester vocals, etc)  

Edited Tuesday at 02:41 PM by Qwerty18

[JZLP-Benningstrong]

The FZ lyrics are generic park 1000%

 

wish the band had lyrics about actual things that happened in their life..a song about Chester would be awesome...