Chester Bennington's Isolated Vocal on 'One More Light' is an Emotional Tribute to the Late Singer
Linkin Park’s seventh studio album, One More Light, has been out for more than a year now, but the album continues to strike a special chord with fans. It's the last album to feature Chester Bennington’s vocals following his 2017 suicide, and its single of the same name has become a poignant song for fans in the wake of Bennington’s death. Now, thanks to a YouTube account called “Linkin Park Songs,” the song just got a bit more bittersweet.
The account has taken “One More Light” and stripped it—what’s left is only Bennington’s contributions. The results are emotional and powerful isolated vocals that serve as a reminder of how talented the late singer truly was.
The original song was inspired by a friend of the band who died suddenly of cancer, according to music magazine Kerrang. In speaking with the publication, Linkin Park’s cofounder, Mike Shinoda said, “It’s a sad song, but the pay-off is that when something dramatic and painful like that happens, the most important thing to do is to connect with the people you love and remind them you care about them.” Though the song isn’t particularly the most obvious single from the band, it’s purpose became magnified after Bennington’s death.
The band, which rose to prominence in 2000 with the release of the mega-album Hybrid Theory, is still undecided on how it will move forward without its lead singer. Though the band has had members leave the group in the past, Bennington's vocals are at the core of the band's success. And when you hear a song stripped down to the bare bones, it's difficult to imagine a Linkin Park without Bennington at the forefront.
This story originally appeared on Esquire.com. Minor edits have been made by the Esquiremag.ph editors.
