Chester Bennington’s Bandmate: ‘He Had A Dark Side’

Dead By Sunrise guitarist Ryan Shuck recently talked about the character of late Chester Bennington during an interview with Linkin Park Live Archive . The interview marked the 15th anniversary of the band’s debut album, ‘Out of Ashes.’

Ryan Shuck opens up on Chester Bennington

Discussing their efforts to continue Dead By Sunrise and its vocalist’s legacy through the years, Shuck said, “Like I said in the beginning, Chester — I think this is what he would want, and I say that not because I’m guessing. I say it because we’ve spoken to him a million times about all of this kind of stuff. Of course, the context has changed, but has it?”

“This music deserves energy in life, and Chester was a positive person when he wasn’t struggling with the issues that he had. He, as a human being, wanted the best for us, for people. I think anyone who trusts their gut knows that.”

“He was not a force for negativity,” the guitarist stressed. “He was a force for positivity. I mean, sure, he had a dark side. So do I, and so do most people, but he was not an evil person. He was a good person who wanted us all to be happy and to kick-a**.”

Chester Bennington tragically passed away in 2017 after a long battle with depression and substance abuse. Dead By Sunrise disbanded after his passing, while Linkin Park went on a long break, from which they returned this summer.

Linkin Park introduced a new vocalist, Emily Armstrong, and drummer Colin Brittain for their comeback. While many people supported the move, Bennington’s mother, Susan, and son, Jamie, criticized the band, accusing them of trying to erase Chester’s legacy.

Shuck also addressed those criticisms during the interview:

“I saw a lot of polarizing stuff about them trying to replace Chester, and yes, I heard Jamie Bennington and Chester’s mother say a lot of really, really misguided and super nasty and completely untrue sh*t.”

“I can say that those people don’t have any inside track or knowledge about anything. I considered making a full-on video to deal with this stuff because the stuff they’re doing and saying and people they’re appealing to, it’s not good.”

Linkin Park is now on tour, promoting their first album without Bennington. Titled ‘From Zero,’ the record will be released on November 15th.

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