In some footage shared by Metal Hammer, you can check out Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington and the band performing a demo of “A Place for My Head.”
The video starts with showing the date, which is 1999. That’s roughly three years after the band have formed and roughly one year before they would release their debut studio album Hybrid Theory. “A Place for My Head” would end up being part of Hybrid Theory, the record rocketing the band into the mainstream limelight.
The camera mostly follows that of rapper Mike Shinoda and that of Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington. It’s a surreal experience to see this iconic nu metal band performing in a small room, given that they would go on to fill up stadiums. It’s also worth noting that the quality of this video is incredibly clear; minor distortion pops appear there and then, but when it comes to the band and Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington on the microphone – not one ounce of aggression is lost.
You can find that 1999 demo performance of “A Place for My Head” below:
The Linkin Park album Hybrid Theory would go on to be certified 12x platinum. Among their fellow metal brothers in Korn and Slipknot, Linkin Park would go on to be an essential component to this new wave of metal. At the time of this writing, the band have released seven studio albums; their most recent release is that of 2017’s One More Light.
Sadly, Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington passed away in 2017. Bennington struggled with mental illness and took his own life by hanging. Bennington’s death occurred on what would have been Chris Cornell’s 53rd birthday; Bennington and the Soundgarden frontman were good friends. At the time of this writing, Linkin Park remain active; they did take a hiatus upon Bennington’s passing, but it looks like they will be moving forward as a band and creating new music.
***
Words by: Michael Pementel
