Yesterday, March 20, would have been the 42nd birthday of former Linkin Park singer Chester Bennington, who died last summer. To honor Bennington, a group of fans decided to share what they call “sort of a holy grail in the community”: eight demos Bennington recorded for a solo project.
A moderator of the fan forum Linkin Park Live uploaded eight demo recordings that Bennington recorded for a solo project (which would turn into the band Dead By Sunrise, whose only album, Out Of Ashes, came out in 2009) and wrote that they were sharing the tracks “for a very limited time” to celebrate Bennington’s life:
“[March 20] would’ve been Chester Bennington’s 42nd birthday, being the his first birthday we celebrate without him and the eighth month since he passed. We can’t change that fact, but what we can do it use the emptiness in our hearts to make something better. The Linkin Park community has been spreading love and comfort since that first day, and continue to to this day. That’s why today, instead of mourning, we’ll celebrate the life of our hero and share something that served as a precursor to a big part of his life. It’s sort of a holy grail in the community, and something lots of people have wanted to hear for years.”
According to fan site Linkinpedia, these demos were discovered in January 2018, as a watermarked CD that was previously owned by Warner Bros. Records executive Rob Cavallo. The Linkin Park Live post includes a 2009 quote from Bennington about the tracks, in which he says that felt very connected to these songs because they were entirely his:
“There was a lot of freedom in the fact these were my songs and this was my thing. They’re my words, so I got to do whatever I wanted. I feel like this is a great record though — the songs are strong and the melodies are good. The lyrics are important to me, and I feel like that gives them validity. I was involved with every aspect of making the album — from the songwriting to the programming to performing with various instruments. I think that opened me up even more creatively than simply being the guy who comes in and does melodies and lyrics.”
Check out the tracklist of this demo collection below, and listen to the songs above and below.
1. “Walking in Circles (Demo)”
2. “Fadeaway (“Into You” Demo)”
3. “Fire (Demo)”
4. “Morning After (Demo)”
5. “My Suffering (Demo)”
6. “Let Down (Demo)”
7. “20 Eyes (Demo; The Misfits cover)”
8. “Give Me Your Name (Demo)”
