Blink-182’s Mark Hoppus revealed that he actually recorded vocals for a Linkin Park song during the band’s new album sessions. He confronted Mike Shinoda about the decision to leave his takes off the final record. The exchange took place during a Q&A Hoppus joined with Linkin Park members for the band’s new documentary, “Unshatter,” and was shared by KROQ.
Hoppus explained why he was in the studio that day. He pressed Shinoda for answers after learning his vocals didn’t make the cut.
“The reason that I was there that day was because Mike invited me to come down and check out some new songs, and also to sing on one of the songs potentially for the new album,” Hoppus said. “Just want to ask you, what the f*ck? I’m not on the record. What the f*ck happened with my vocal takes? Was it because I said ‘God dammit’ too much?”
Shinoda offered a brief response to Hoppus’s question.
“You were greater than the song,” Shinoda said.
That studio visit dates back to 2024. It fits into a much larger story Linkin Park has been telling about their return over the past several months.
The band’s comeback has been documented in full through “Unshatter,” a film directed by Joe Hahn that traces Linkin Park’s journey back to the stage following years of mourning Chester Bennington. The documentary began its worldwide theatrical run on September 30, blending behind-the-scenes footage from the band’s comeback with live performance material.
Much of that live material comes from a massive show at Allianz Parque in São Paulo, Brazil, on November 15, 2024, where Linkin Park played in front of nearly 97,000 fans. That performance forms the backbone of the film’s concert footage. It gives “Unshatter” its scale.
Linkin Park released “UNSHATTER Film Soundtrack (Live in São Paulo)” on September 25 through Warner Records, alongside the documentary. The 20-track live album captures the São Paulo performance in full. It serves as the official soundtrack to the film.
Bennington himself does not appear in “Unshatter.” Hahn has said the late frontman’s presence was still felt throughout production. Hahn made sure Bennington was, in his words, “always, always around” as the band worked through the emotional weight of returning without him.
