Linkin Park’s recent lineup changes have a lot of people sounding off, including tattoo artist Kat Von D. Last month, the iconic nu-metal band revealed that Emily Armstrong is their new co-lead singer, replacing the late Chester Bennington, who died in 2017.
Now, TMZ reports that in an appearance on The Sailor Jerry podcast, Von D told host Matt Caughthran that she is not thrilled about Linkin Park’s new direction. More specifically, she doesn’t like bands bringing in new lead singers when the original leaves, because she feels they can never recapture the magic.
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Von D, who was close friends with Bennington, went on to suggest that Linkin Park could have brought their late frontman back via hologram or some other way, saying that she thinks fans would have enjoyed it.
Finally, she criticized the move to replace Bennington with a female vocalist as feeling like a gimmick. She also said that she wonders if the new changes aren’t just a way for the band to get a windfall of money at the expense of fans.
In addition to Armstrong, songwriter and producer Colin Brittain has joined the band as a drummer. Original members Mike Shinoda, Brad Delson, Dave “Phoenix” Farrell, and Joe Hahn are all back, though founding Linkin Park drummer Rob Bourdon exited the band following Bennington’s death.
The band’s September reunion came with a brand new single, “The Emptiness Machine,” as well as a forthcoming album, From Zero, and a brief world tour.
Almost as soon as it was announced, however, the decision to bring Armstrong into the band began to generate controversy, as it was revealed that she has ties to the Church of Scientology and had once shown up to support Danny Masterson in court, prior to his rape conviction.
One of the loudest voices has been the Mars Volta’s Cedric Bixler-Zavala, whose wife —Chrissie Carnell-Bixler — was one of the women who accused Masterson of assault. Bixler-Zavala made multiple Instagram posts calling out Armstrong for alleged role in misconduct he claims was sanctioned by church leadership.
In response to the criticism about her perceived support of Masterson, Armstrong released a statement, writing, “I was asked to support someone I considered a friend at a court appearance, and went to one early hearing as an observer. Soon after, I realized I shouldn’t have.” She added, “To say it as clearly as possible: I do not condone abuse or violence against women, and I empathize with the victims of these crimes.”
