It is Linkin Park's first studio album since One More Light , marking the longest gap between studio albums from the band. It is also their first album with vocalist Emily Armstrong and drummer Colin Brittain following the death of vocalist Chester Bennington in and departure of drummer Rob Bourdon in respectively. The album's title has a double meaning; it is a reference to both the band's original name, Xero, and the band's new chapter with Armstrong and Brittain.
From Zero received generally favorable reviews from critics and was a commercial success, reaching number one in the charts of more than 10 different countries. A tour in support of the album, the From Zero World Tour , began in September and is set to conclude in November On July 20, , Linkin Park entered an indefinite hiatus when longtime lead singer Chester Bennington died by suicide.
Mike Shinoda communicated to the public on several occasions in the ensuing years that he intended for the band to continue, stating in January , "I have every intention on continuing with LP, and the guys feel the same. We have a lot of rebuilding to do, and questions to answer, so it'll take time. They were later joined by Brad Delson , although founding drummer Rob Bourdon chose not to participate, and Delson chose to opt out of touring.
The band met Dead Sara vocalist Emily Armstrong in and began working on music with her shortly thereafter, along with various other musicians, including drummer Colin Brittain. On April 28, , Farrell revealed the band was working on new music. The band also released their first greatest hits album, entitled Papercuts on April 12, On March 30, , in an interview with KCAL-FM , Orgy frontman Jay Gordon sparked rumors of a Linkin Park reunion claiming he had heard that the band had recruited a new female singer but refused to elaborate further, causing rampant speculation.
The proposed lineup featured Shinoda, Delson, Farrell, and an unnamed female vocalist in place of Bennington. After the countdown reached zero, the band released a statement hinting at a major announcement, writing: "It's only a matter of time". An invite was sent to members of the band's fan club, Linkin Park Underground, revealing a five-hour event on September 5, , in Los Angeles , California.
