Grey Daze’s Sean Dowdell on celebrating the heavy side of Chester Bennington

Five years since his death shook the rock world to its core, Chester Bennington’s legacy hasn’t fizzled for a second, and thanks in no short part to an unwaveringly passionate fanbase, bandmates that considered him more of a brother than a colleague, and a wealth of material just begging to be unearthed, his spirit burns as brightly today as it ever has. The second posthumous effort from Grey Daze – Bennington’s pre-Linkin Park grunge outfit, with whom he cut his teeth in the mid- to late-‘90s – celebrates that spirit, and in more ways than one.

The ten-track disc is titled The Phoenix in part because, as drummer Sean Dowdell tells Kill Your Stereo, it represents a metaphorical rising of Bennington’s spirit – albeit not physically, through the efforts of his old mates, fans are able to reconnect with Bennington as they heard him in his halcyon days, with every ounce of the gritty, angst-laced power he shone with intact. “There’s a positive energy coming back through with his music,” Dowdell says. And there’s not a lick of hyperbole to it: with the visceral, infectious might of the material presented – songs that are much heavier and harder-hitting than what Grey Daze delivered on 2020’s Amends – The Phoenix is truly energising, life-affirming and, perhaps most importantly, fun.

Before the record lands on June 17th, Dowdell dove deep with Kill Your Stereo’s Ellie Robinson to riff on how Grey Daze endeavoured to honour Bennington in his rawest, most authentic form on The Phoenix, how it came to life in one of the world’s most iconic studios, and why it exists not to milk the legacy of an alt-metal icon, but simply pay tribute to an old friend.

Check out the full chat with Ellie & Sean HERE:

Grey Daze have also been uploading the documentary episodes about the making of this album, check out Episodes 1 and 2 below.

The Phoenix is out on June 17 - grab it at https://found.ee/GD_ThePhoenix.