Mike Shinoda has spoken about Brad Delson’s resistance to Linkin Park’s return after Chester Bennington’s death. Shinoda described his honest conversations with bassist Dave Farrell and guitarist Brad Delson about their roles in the comeback. Delson stepped back from touring and left his live spot to Alex Feder. He now works behind the scenes. He needed more convincing about the band’s return.
Shinoda first discussed how the band sees itself and how the documentary shows its disagreements.
“One thing that’s almost like an inside joke for not just the band, but our team, is we sometimes say that we’re the world’s most boring band,” Shinoda said. “Because, oftentimes, when you watch a documentary about something, it’s because there’s drama and there’s fighting or there’s some element of danger in that sense.”
He then explained that the band’s conflicts are less about infighting and more about shared struggles.
“And really, for us, I mean, we do have disagreements, and we have troubles, and we talk about a little bit of that in the documentary,” he continued. “But it’s not us fighting with each other as much as it’s us against whatever it is that’s our current struggle.”
Shinoda then spoke about how long it took Delson to come back after losing Chester.
“It was so hard emotionally to come back from the tragedy of losing Chester that it took time for [Delson] to deal with that and come back,” Shinoda said. “I think everybody was really patient and understanding. We took a lot of time to approach him and wait for him to come around, and we had lots of different feelings, but, thankfully, we figured it out.”
Those comments add to the picture of a reunion that took patience. The documentary Shinoda refers to shows how that process unfolded.
Linkin Park: Unshatter is a feature-length documentary directed by bandmate Joe Hahn. It opened in cinemas worldwide on Sept. 30. The film starts with studio sessions from 2022. It follows the making of the band’s comeback album, From Zero, which came out in November 2024.
The film also covers the arrival of vocalist Emily Armstrong and drummer Colin Brittain, who helped shape the band’s new era. It uses footage from the band’s São Paulo concert as a framing device. That show took place on Nov. 15, 2024, the day From Zero was released.
Delson’s hesitation is part of that story. The film includes a scene where he admits he was apprehensive about returning because of the band’s demanding touring schedule and the emotional weight of losing Bennington. He ultimately rejoined the band. Feder has played guitar in his place at concerts.
The comeback has also done well commercially. From Zero produced the No. 1 rock hits “The Emptiness Machine” and “Heavy Is the Crown.” The band has also released a live album, Unshatter (Live in São Paulo), alongside the documentary.
