Linkin Park’s Big Announcement is a Whole Lot of Nothing

More than 50,000 people sat waiting, watching a countdown that had been ticking from 100 hours on Linkin Park‘s official YouTube page, thinking the countdown would lead to something… anything of substance. It’s been years since Linkin Park released anything new or really did anything other than a few re-issues here and there, so fans were thinking the ultimate occurrence — a reunion with a new singer filling in for the late Chester Bennington.

But it seems April Fools’ Day came super early, as when the clock struck zero, all fans got was some glitchy numbers and a timer that’s now counting up instead of down. That was the big reveal. More waiting around. People think it’s another 100 hour timer, but at this point who the fuck knows?! Talk about a big fucking waste of time and a super shitty red herring to hit your fans with.

Leading up to this, there’d been months of speculation of who would take Bennington’s place. Previously, Orgy frontman Jay Gordon let slip that he heard a woman would be taking the spot, but was quick to recant his statement, saying his comments were taken “out of context.” Then there were rumors of Evanescence‘s Amy Lee taking the reins, but that was shot down too.

Then came the rumors that Sum 41‘s Deryck Whibley was the guy. That was buffeted by the fact that Sum 41 also hinted at an announcement at the same time Linkin Park’s timer was going to run out. People freaked all over the place, but then Whibley himself shot those rumors in the ass.

“I feel the need to dispel some current rumours. It’s been brought to my attention that many people think I could be joining a reuniting band. But I just want to say, despite popular belief, I am not joining Oasis… or Linkin Park. Or any other band for that matter.

“I have my own ‘tour and book’ announcement that I will now move to the end of the week, ahead of our U.S. tour.

“I do look forward to seeing whatever both these amazing bands do in the future.”

So here we are. No new information. No exciting revelation. Just a massive case of blue balls for Linkin Park fans waiting patiently to find out what’s coming next. For those keeping score, 100 hours from the time the timer flipped lands sometime on September 1, so there’s still a chance Whibley will be the guy.

I’d just refrain from holding my breath in case that’s another troll job too.