Linkin Park have released a documentary, Unshatter, which looks at the band’s resurrection since the suicide of lead vocalist Chester Bennington in 2017.
Replacing Bennington with ex-Dead Sara singer Emily Armstrong was a brave move for all concerned, and Unshatter covers the adjustments that had to be made by both the band and their new vocalist.
In an interview with People about the film, Armstrong admits that she was initially intimidated by the scale of the task in front of her: “You see it in the documentary where I’m just like, ‘Am I even cut out for this?’ You’re trying to give yourself every reason to just be like, ‘You’re not good. Everybody knows these songs.’”
It was essential, she explains, to put her own touch on the band’s extensive back catalogue. “That’s the only thing that I could think of. Don’t try to be like anybody. You’re not a replacement. Nobody could ever, ever replace Chester. Do what you do.”
Part of that involved adapting some of the band’s classic songs. The documentary shows the additional prep that Armstrong and fellow new recruit drummer Colin Brittain had to do, which, as the drummer explains in the film, included making sure those songs felt natural for Armstrong’s voice.
“She and I would get together at my house probably four days a week for a period of months learning the songs,” Brittain says. “We changed a bunch of the keys a bunch of times to try to find what was comfortable for her to sing it in while still retaining the same original energy and shape.”
Speaking to People, the documentary maker and the band’s ‘creative director’ Joe Hahn remembers capturing the band going through this process with Armstrong and Brittain. “I think the first one we addressed was Crawling [from 2000’s Hybrid Theory]. The important thing for us was for her to sing it her way, not to imitate anything. If it’s personal to her, then it’s gonna resonate."
“We heard that, made a few little modifications and were just like, ‘OK, this really works,’ Hahn says, remembering it as the moment the band knew the new line-up was right. “It was almost like the icebreaker to make the rest feel very achievable.”
As for Armstrong, she still seems to be pinching herself that she’s fronting the band she’s been a fan of for years. “I know how lucky I am,” she says in Unshatter. “It’s everything I’ve dreamed of. I’m so fortunate to be in this position. It’s crazy. Having it happen later in my life is something I wouldn’t change.”
Unshatter is currently enjoying a limited theatre run. At some point details will no doubt be announced about its streaming release.
