LINKIN PARK Frontman: New Album Will Be 'More Vocally Driven' Than Before

LINKIN PARK's official web site has been updated with a short interview with LP singer Chester Bennington regarding the songwriting process for the band's new album. Read on:

Q: What is the writing process like?

Chester: "It's fun. We all get a chance to release and contribute creatively. Rick Rubin, the producer on our new record, has us working in a style that we've never done before, so it's different for us. We'll come up with ideas individually then come together and work on it as a band. We decide together what direction the songs will go... but this album will be more vocally driven than any of our other ones. So usually, Mike [Shinoda] and I write lyrics, and the rest of the guys write their parts to them. Brad [Delson] is really great at structuring the songs. It's obviously a lot of work, but I love my job, so it makes working fun for us."

Q: Do you and Mike write together?

Chester: "We both write songs and melodies, and we both have our own personal things we write about, so some of the songs start out separately then we put them together and work on them together. But we both have songs that we've written on our own. Usually we tweak each other's stuff and go from there."

Q: Is there one main person who determines the lyricism?

Chester: "Nope, there are two. Me and Mike. But Mike is really good at making lyrics flow, so he perfects a lot of what we do together."

Q: Does the whole band sit down together?

Chester: "Every week. We're still in the early stages where we're working out our individual parts first. Each of the guys write their own part for their own instrument. But we have a band meeting every week, and we partner up on a lot of what we're doing. We get together at the studio every week and listen to each other's stuff. Then we all get to decide what to keep, what to change and help each other with what we've been working on."

Q: And the rest work on the production?

Chester: "Everyone does the production. But if you're asking me if everyone works on their own parts, yes they do. But we all help each other out when we need it. We're a band, so nothing is solo."

Q: Is your writing a reflection of where you are in life?

Chester: "A lot has changed for me since 'Meteora'. I married Talinda, and have three sons, so I guess as I'm growing up and getting older, so is the music. You can't repeat the same things in life and not learn. The same goes for music with me."

Q: Will the lyrical content be similar to any of your previous work or can we expect something TOTALLY new?

Chester: "Both. We're still LINKIN PARK, and you'll hear that. But we have a lot of material that is totally new and nothing you've heard from us before. Rick Rubin is producing the record, and he's done so many different types of albums. We wanted something new but still with our vibe."

Q: Are you also a writer in the traditional sense of the word i.e. short stories, fiction, etc.?

Chester: "Yes. I love to write stories and poems. I did an interview for a book recently, and it ended up to be a story of my childhood and how I was influenced to play music. It ended up to be about six pages."

Q: Do you find your writing as a form of release or pseudo-therapy?

Chester: "Yeah. It gives me a chance to express myself creatively and to get my feelings out. Some people work out, some people paint, I write and sing. It lets me release my aggression and share my thoughts with fans and friends.

"We can't wait for you to hear the new music. Thanks for all your support, our fans mean the world to us and we're so excited to see you on tour later this year."