Chester Bennington’s mum has blasted the Linkin Park reunion.
The band announced their reunion earlier this month, but criticism quickly arrived particularly due to the inclusion of Emily Armstrong as the new lead vocalist.
Armstrong, known for her role in the rock band Dead Sara, has been under scrutiny for her past support of Danny Masterson, an actor recently convicted of rape, as well as her connections with the Church of Scientology.
One person who had strong feelings about Linkin Park reuniting seven years after the death of Chester Bennington was the late, great singer’s mum, Susan Eubanks.
Speaking over the phone with Rolling Stone, Eubanks revealed that the band had promised to inform her if there were any plans to reunite. However, neither Mike Shinoda or Joe Hahn mentioned anything about a reunion when she bumped into them in recent years.
That’s why Eubanks was so shocked by this month’s reunion announcement.
“I feel betrayed. They told me that if they were ever going to do something, they would let me know. They didn’t let me know, and they probably knew that I wouldn’t going to be very happy. I’m very upset about it,” she told Rolling Stone.
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“I feel like they’re trying very hard to erase the past. They’re performing songs that Chester sang. And I don’t know how the fans are taking it, but I know how I take it. And having [Armstrong] singing my son’s songs is hurtful.
They said they would let the family know if they were going to reunite. They did not. [Bennington’s first wife] Samantha and [son] Draven didn’t know until it was told to the world. It was the same for me and it hurt.”
Eubanks sent a message to the Linkin Park band members via the interview.
“If I could tell the band members anything it’s that I feel betrayed. You made a promise to me that you would let us know and you didn’t. If you were going to do this, this is the wrong way to do it. Don’t put her [Armstrong] out there to sing Chester’s songs and then act like this was always the way it should have been.
“It’s like making him go away, erasing the past. You don’t have to worry about going through the old songs and finding new ones, new Chester songs to put out. Now you can just put out new songs. But don’t bother to put out Chester’s songs with Emily singing them,” she said.
Bennington’s mum’s comments come after his son, Jaime, took to social media to criticise Linkin Park for their recent decisions. In a series of Instagram stories, he accused Linkin Park co-founder Mike Shinoda of “quietly erasing” his father’s legacy.
