Linkin Park ProfileBlink-182’s Mark Hoppus has revealed that he recorded vocals for an unreleased Linkin Park song in a new interview.
Hoppus, the co-founding bassist and vocalist in blink-182, shared the news during a moderated Q&A with Linkin Park after the Los Angeles premiere of their new documentary, Unshatter, on Thursday (24 September).
In the Q&A, Hoppus said Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda invited him to the studio to potentially record one of the band’s comeback songs and hear how their 2024 album, From Zero, was coming along.
However, Hoppus ultimately doesn’t appear on the album – or its bonus tracks. Jokingly confronting Shinoda about the matter, he said, “What the fuck? I’m not on the record. What the fuck happened with my vocal takes?”
Shinoda answered, “You were greater than the song.”
Check out the moment, shared by KROQ, below.
NME notes that Hoppus appears in Unshatter, and in an already-released clip from the documentary, he sits with Shinoda as he hears the song of the same name – a track that appears on the deluxe edition of From Zero.
Visibly shocked by the song, Hoppus says, “Fucking hell, Mike,” and asks whether new vocalist Emily Armstrong has a voice “made of fucking steel.”
“I was moved by that,” Shinoda said, after Hoppus showed him the goosebumps on his arm. “Goosebumps, you can’t fake.”
Hoppus then encouraged the revitalised Linkin Park to embrace their new line-up and continue their career.
The feature documentary lands in cinemas worldwide on Wednesday, 30 September.
Directed by longtime band member Joe Hahn, Linkin Park: Unshatter will chronicle the band’s shock comeback, which arrived seven years after they went on hiatus following the tragic passing of singer Chester Bennington.
The film is set to not only follow Linkin Park’s return to the stage, but also their journey “through loss, resilience and creative reinvention,” per Deadline.
The documentary will reportedly contain rare archival footage, behind-the-scenes moments, studio sessions, and live performances of their reunion, culminating in an epic album release show in São Paulo in 2024.
It’ll include early recording sessions from 2022, including the creation of the band’s eighth album, From Zero, released in 2024, and detail their latest chapter with new members Emily Armstrong and drummer Colin Brittain.
Linkin Park brought their From Zero tour to Australia in March. However, they cancelled their Adelaide date due to “an illness in the band.”
Reviewing the band’s first show at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre, The Music’s Claire Dunton wrote, “The first of seven shows in the Australian leg of the tour was an unbelievable feat of production, effects, and sound, proving that Linkin Park still holds their crown as rock royalty.”
Check out the first setlist from Linkin Park’s first Australian tour in 13 years on The Music.
