The California alt-rockers of Linkin Park have shown a lot of self awareness in recent weeks, shooting a first-date parody video with Blink-182 for Funny Or Die, and acknowledging that their first album, Hybrid Theory, is a fan favorite. Scratch that—Hybrid Theory is the fan favorite, apparently, despite debuting nearly 17 years ago. No one is more aware of that fervor than frontman Chester Bennington, but he also thinks it’s high time for everyone to “move the fuck on” from it.
That’s what Bennington tells Music Week (via NME) in a new interview following the release of new single “Heavy,” off the upcoming One More Light. See, Bennington totally hears fans’ love of the rap-metal band’s debut album, which featured hits like “Crawling” and “In The End.” And sure, he knows it went diamond. But frankly, it boggles his mind that they haven’t glommed onto something like, we don’t know, Meteora or Minutes To Midnight after all this time:
“When we made Hybrid Theory, I was the oldest guy in the band and in my early ’20s. That’s why I guess I’m like: ‘Why are we still talking about Hybrid Theory? It’s fucking years ago. It’s a great record, we love it. Like, move the fuck on.’ You know what I mean?”
If Bennington sounds extra peeved, though, it might be because the release of “Heavy,” which features new electropop singer Kiiara, is being met with accusations of selling out, just because the band is now working with electropop singers. His remarks for those folks are a bit more severe: “If you’re saying we’re doing what we’re doing for a commercial or monetary reason, trying to make success out of some formula…then stab yourself in the face!” Don’t worry, he laughed while he said that last part.
[via Fuse]