There is a reverence that comes with Chester Bennington unlike no other. He is held in a suspended animation of awe and grief by millions of die-hard fans around the world who continue to both mourn and celebrate the lost musician 5 years after his tragic death. If you want to understand Chester Bennington, the experienced professional musician and renowned celebrity rock star, listen to Linkin Park and celebrate our beloved Chester there. If you want to experience a revival of Chester’s spirit, check out the new Grey Daze album; released on its wings from the fires of mourning and ashes, entitled, The Phoenix. (Courtesy of Loma Vista Records; Produced by Esjay Jones).
To get a glimpse of who Chester Bennington was before the heyday of Linkin Park, in the beginning when the world was still so large, and dreams abounded in the mind and spirit, Grey Daze is here to deliver. It’s a glimpse of a teenager just starting; who’s unspeakably huge universe hadn’t yet been shrunk by fame, and who’s raw talent was still so new. Chester rode a pedestal he was placed upon and did it with grace. However, before that intense level of fame; that fire flame that can just eat you alive, there was the Chester who was relatively unknown and singing with Grey Daze. It’s in this music I find I can best humanize him as the person he was, and not the celebrity we wanted him to be.
The fame of Linkin Park made Chester this almost mythical hero of a figure to millions around the world. Chester’s star is so large that in sitting down to write this review I had to remove my head from the thought that this is Chester Bennington, and focus on the fact that it’s Chester Bennington without freaking out that it’s Chester Bennington. Imagine living with that kind of fame day in and day out; that kind of impact and influence on others and how it would mold and shape you as an artist and a person. Chester was always kind, he never let the pressures of fame eek into his heart. He stayed true to his kind authentic self from the beginning to the end.
Linkin Park was such an anthemic band in so many varied ways. Linkin Park stood tall as the redwoods; a band nobody ever thought would end in the way it did when Chester tragically passed on. Linkin Park’s music and lyrics were a journey through trials and life experiences, and I do think we all took Chester for granted in the sense that we assumed he’d be there forever.
Grey Daze is a more personal experience than Linkin Park. If “Numb” was an anthem for outcasts everywhere struggling with home and school life, then “Starting To Fly” is the precursor of personal strength for oneself. The album is a glimpse into a Chester full of promise and raw, early mastery. A lot of Linkin Park’s music was written as a form of self expression for the fans, while the lyrics held within Grey Daze’s The Phoenix could be seen as a much more personal and individualized diary of Chester’s.
It’s a rare opportunity to see who Chester was as a person and an artist in the beginning and to see him stripped away lyrically and vocally to the bones and foundation that this transformative band built around. The Phoenix is an album to celebrate Chester for the glorious and humble human being he was, the immaculate shining vocals of rage and heart that he gave, and the new music brought forth by his band mates and friends on behalf of his legacy.
Grey Daze originally formed in 1993 out of Phoenix, Arizona; an apropos congregation of high school friends with a focus on a dream. Originally made up of Bennington, Sean Dowdell, Jonathan Krause and Steve Mitchell, the band released their first album, Wake Me in 1994. Krause left the band in 1995 and was replaced by Mace Beyers for their second album, No Sun Today, in 1997. The band parted ways the following year, and Bennington was recruited to join in a project that would become the phenomenon known as Linkin Park.
Bennington also formed a supergroup called Dead By Sunrise. Dark, gritty and encapsulating in its sorrows, Dead By Sunrise delivered two delectably emotion-evoking albums: Out of Ashes and Crawl Back In. In addition to those musical projects, Bennington sang with Stone Temple Pilots between 2013-2015. A few months before Bennington’s death, he reached out to Sean Dowdell about reforming Grey Daze, but that hopeful day never arrived. Says Dowdell in his interview for RockCelebrities.net, “He was going to fly in from LA Saturday. We were all going to have dinner, and then we would start band rehearsals with the entire band the following day on Sunday. He didn’t make it, so Thursday night, he passed away.”
In the fallout of Bennington’s death, with Talinda’s blessing, the band decided to come together (Recruiting Cristin Davis on guitar), and honor Chester with the album, Amends. A mourning album of dark intensity and angst, Amends was Grey Daze’s musical tombstone for Bennington, and a catharsis to work through their loss. Now the band has returned with The Phoenix, only this album is a celebration of Chester’s life and legacy. The album opens with the dull roar of a chattering audience as one man calls out to Bennington, “Are you the Lizard King?” (A reference to Jim Morrison of The Doors). Bennington quickly quips back, “No, I’m not the Lizard King, but I am…I am The King” before jumping into a roaring scream that churns and rises like the mythical Phoenix bird brought to life within your soul.
Bennington’s vocals turn the mythical to reality in an act of vocal magic. From the screaming vocals, delicious down your spine to the hunkering bass courtesy of Mace Beyers in harmony to the beat of Sean Dowdell’s drums, “Saturation (Strange Love)” carries you away with a roar. The second track, “Starting to Fly”, is remastered with a resounded support chorus, courtesy of Dowdell commanding through question, “How high can we go? How high can we go?”. It’s a change up from the original version of “Starting To Fly” that works well folded into this song of soaring hope and poetic lyrics. Directed by Heidi Gadd, the beautiful music video features an exciting array of extreme sports amid still photos of Bennington.
Another stand out track on the album is “Holding You”, featuring Dave Navarro from Jane’s Addiction. The way the band and Navarro and Davis built the instrumentals and jaw dropping guitarwork around Bennington’s vocals is genius. The entire album is a remastery built entirely around Bennington’s vocals, but “Holding You” has an extra edge to it that captured my heart. A complex, heavy and romantic song, “Holding You” will bring you to your feet. Navarro’s skills are on another level; amplifying the power of the song.
The other guest artist on the album is Richard Patrick on the track “Believe Me”. The duo fly harsh and wild, with invigorous passion and intensity on this track that settles like a perfect sunset in the soul. Patrick and the band delved themselves into this track; writing a chorus for Patrick tailor made to highlight the merge of the duo’s vocals in a display of sound that Bennington would have been ecstatic to see; especially given how much he looked up to Patrick’s talent. The track is heartbreaking in its stellar glory.
Bennington’s adorable daughters, Lily and Lila, also contribute to the album, appearing in another stand-out track and singing at the beginning of “Hole”, and in the chorus. One of the more emotionally moving tracks on the album, Bennington’s daughters sing and slowly fade out as the intro delves in heavy and deep with its driving riffs courtesy of Cristin Davis. The track “Spin” starts with hallowing, deep bass tones leading into soft, lingering vocals, and features a resounding solo by Cristin Davis, who absolutely slays in his instrumental harmonies around Bennington. You can almost hear the years of friendship in the merge of Bennington’s vocals and Davis’s guitar.
From the hints and influence of grunge to the impassioned rock, The Phoenix takes you on an excursion through the 90s and beyond into today. There is inner peace and healing to be found in this album. The entire album has an fervent, yet light, airy feel to it. Though at times shadowed and dark, The Phoenix only proves how ashes can rise back into flame, and how those we love and have lost live on forever.
Chester, this is for you.
I’m Music Magazine Writer Breezy Blake
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