Linkin Park DJ Joe Hahn is commenting on singer Chester Bennington joining Stone Temple Pilots earlier this year, replacing original frontman Scott Weiland.
“In high school we grew up listening to Stone Temple Pilots,” Hahn tells Rolling Stone. “For us these are the deities of rock. They're up there, so if someone asks you to do that, you just do it. Chester is such a great singer and for him to have the opportunity to go and sing with other people, we're appreciative of them for asking Chester to do it. I think on a spiritual level it works in so many ways, where it's not even about there being a benefit, it's just something that feels right, especially for Chester.”
Hahn was asked if he thinks Bennington has picked up any new skills working with the band.
“Especially recently, Chester's songwriting has been incredible,” he said. “He'll come to the studio with some stuff where we're like, ‘How did that happen?’ For him to flex that with Stone Temple Pilots or whoever, he's definitely a person that has a lot of stuff inside of him, and you can tell by watching him perform it's there and it needs to come out.”
Stone Temple Pilots – with Bennington – will release their new EP, “High Rise”, this coming Tuesday, October 8.
The project contains five new tracks including the previously-released single, “Out Of Time.”
Last month, Stone Temple Pilots kicked off their North American tour with Bennington, the first full trek since the band parted ways with Weiland.
See also:
Stone Temple Pilots release High Rise EP video
Stone Temple Pilots release Black Heart lyric video