Fans of Linkin Park should expect new music from its late singer Chester Bennington in the near future; however, it won’t be coming from the beloved rock band.
Before joining the Numb rockers in 1999, Bennington was in a post-grunge band by the name of Grey Daze, along with some of his closest friends.
Prior to the frontman’s death in 2017, the since-disbanded group was planning a 20th-anniversary reunion show, and had plans to re-release some of its earliest works, for which Bennington had already recorded vocals.
Though those reunion plans never came to be, Bennington’s wife, Talinda Bennington, announced on Twitter on Tuesday evening that in partnership with her mental health awareness foundation, 320 Changes Direction, Grey Daze would be releasing a new album in honour of the singer by completing that project and using the re-recorded vocal takes.
“For us, releasing a new Grey Daze album will shine a light on where my husband started and hopefully give his fans a better understanding of his art and a more full picture of his journey through this incredible music,” wrote Talinda, who is recently engaged.
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“One of Chester’s greatest gifts was music,. The only thing he took more pride in was being a father to his children.
“Given how much he cared, he wanted fans to hear everything he did, and his musical journey started with Grey Daze. He was so enthusiastic about doing this, he was eager to play rock music and there were messages in those songs he knew would be meaningful to fans.”
Talinda later admitted that her husband’s death put a halt on Grey Daze’s plans. She cited “suffering” through “too many emotions” before being able to “even think about what would happen to the project.”
“Once the clouds lifted a bit, once we could focus on what Chester would want us to do, we looked for a way to continue what Chester was working on,” she said. “The Grey Daze project is one of the ways we can continue to tell Chester’s story and connect with his fans.”
On July 20, 2017, at age 41, Bennington died by suicide.
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Grey Daze formed in 1993 in Phoenix, Ariz. In the band’s five-year career, it released a demo tape, called Demo, as well as two studio albums, Wake Me (1994) and 1997’s …No Sun Today.
Though most of the band’s music was written by Bennington, Grey Daze’s lack of success and recognition resulted in his leaving the band in 1998 and the ultimate disbandment of the group.
On Bennington’s plans to reunite with his former bandmates Sean Dowdell, Mace Beyers and Cristin Davis, Talinda wrote: “It meant a lot for him… He’d known them more than half his life.”
It’s unclear when the upcoming Grey Daze project will be released.
Those interested in keeping up to date with the band can sign up for its newsletter through its official website.