Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Seven years after Chester Bennington’s untimely death through suicide, Linkin Park has made their return with new song, “The Emptiness Machine” released on Sept. 5. This will be the second track on their new album “From Zero,” set to release on Nov. 15 of this year. Taking Bennington’s place as lead vocalists are Mike Shinoda—co-founder, lead songwriter and previous vocalist of Linkin Park—and Emily Armstrong, co-founder of the band Dead Sara. However, Armstrong’s new involvement with the famous band has not gone without a lot of controversy.

First off, the singer has previously given support to “That 70s Show” star Danny Masterson, who was convicted of raping two women in 2003. This tidbit came out when Linkin Park first announced Armstrong’s new role in their band. According to E! News Online, after the band said their piece, singer of Mars Volta, Cedric Bixler-Zavala and wife Chrissie Carnell-Bixler, spoke out online. Bixler-Zavala commented on an Instagram post, asking if Armstrong’s fans knew of her “rapist friend.” Carnell-Bixler also made a post on Armstrong’s feed, identifying herself as one of the women who accused Masterson of the assault.

Though not confirmed, there are also rumors going around that Armstrong has ties to the Church of Scientology. This is mainly due to the fact that Bixler-Zavala reposted pictures of when he was commenting on Dead Sara’s Instagram page last year when the trial was happening, as Masterson is a member and Armstrong was supporting him. After hearing all of this, Jaime Bennington—Chester Bennington’s son—posted an Instagram story, questioning why Armstrong was allowed to join Linkin Park.

With everything thrown against her, Armstrong also took to social media on Sept. 6. Per the BBC, she posted an Instagram story saying the following: “Hi, I’m Emily. I’m new to so many of you, and I wanted to clear the air about something that happened a while back. Several years ago, 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 [sic]. I always try to see the good in people, and I misjudged him. I have never spoken with him since. Unimaginable details emerged and he was later found guilty. 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.”

While Armstrong spoke out against her previous support of Masterson, she did not address her alleged ties with the Church of Scientology. Fans of Linkin Park have taken to Reddit to discuss the matter, most deciding to place the controversy behind and worry about the actual music. One user notes that if you were to tell them the song came off of “ReAnimation”—Linkin Park’s second album released in 2002, which consisted of remixes of records off their debut album—as a special guest secret bonus song–they had have no problem agreeing.

With all of the Armstrong controversy aside, “The Emptiness Machine” is a very likable piece. Per Linkin Park fashion, the song features hard-core vocals with an underlying message. 

According to various sources, “The Emptiness Machine” has a topical theme of a toxic relationship. However, if one were to dig deeper, the song could suggest the destructive nature of the music industry. If the latter is true, it would be kind of ironic with all the backlash surrounding Armstrong. 

“The Emptiness Machine” scratches an itch in the brain, something very tantalizing. The hit of the instruments with the pairing of the chorus is immaculate. After listening to the song on repeat while writing this article, the outro does not go unnoticed, as it flawlessly loops back into the beginning. You truly only recognize that the track has restarted once the first verse starts back up again.

Image by Linkin Park via YouTube