Chester Bennington

Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington died yesterday at the age of 41 in an apparent suicide and it took me off guard. The band were a huge part of my teenage years. I'm pretty sure there was no-one  among my peers who didn't own their breakout record "Hybrid Theory", the record that came to define nu metal and whose angsty lyrics spoke to my generation. Bennington's shouty vocals and Mike Shinoda's rapping were an irresistible combination. That's an odd sentence, but it's true. The band's usage of samples and rock riffs was undeniably distinctive. Clearly, we weren't the only ones who loved it as Hybrid Theory became the best selling record of 2000 and one of the top fifty best selling albums of all time.

I remember going to Reading Festival for the day in 2003. It was the first time I'd ever been to a live music event and remember how thrilled I was to be there. Linkin Park headlined and absolutely killed it, before I even knew what "killing it" was. I dimly remember them playing "Faint" and the entire crowd going bonkers. As well they might, I've just checked and it's still a stone cold banger. I maintained enough fleeting affection for the band that I walked into Woolworths (that dates it if nothing else) at 9am the morning after pulling an all nighter at university to buy their third record "Minutes To Midnight".

Bennington's band was loved by so many people and he was much loved in the rock community. But it wasn't enough. But then depression is a terrible, illogical beast and it results in desperately sad days like this one. RIP Chester.

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