The Unexpected Spark

According to Mike Shinoda, the idea came late last year when Eminem reached out with a simple, chilling message:

“That voice still haunts me. Let’s bring it back — together.”

That voice, of course, was the late Chester Bennington, who died by suicide in 2017. The original “Faint” was one of Chester’s most explosive performances — and for years, Linkin Park avoided touching it.

Until now.

Chester Lives Through the Mix

Using unreleased studio takes, live stems, and harmonies buried in the vaults, Shinoda and his team rebuilt Chester’s vocals — not through AI, but from real, untouched fragments.

“It wasn’t about faking him,” said Shinoda. “It was about letting him roar one last time — on his own terms.”

And roar he does.

The new version opens with Eminem alone, rapping a brand-new, venom-laced verse:

“I heard the silence louder than the screams / Bury me in basslines and blown-out dreams…”

Then — like a ghost breaking through static — Chester’s voice erupts:

“I can’t feel the way I did before / Don’t turn your back on me / I won’t be ignored…”

And suddenly, it’s 2003 again — but heavier, angrier, and terrifyingly relevant.

A Music Video That Stops You Cold

The official video, directed by Dave Meyers, blends haunting black-and-white footage of Eminem and Linkin Park performing in an abandoned cathedral with flickers of Chester onstage — real archival moments that flicker like a memory you can’t hold.

At the climax, Chester’s giant silhouette towers over the band, projected onto the cathedral ceiling as Eminem screams:

“This is for the voices we couldn’t save.”

The Internet Implodes

Within hours of release:

#FAINT2025 trended No. 1 worldwide

The video hit 50 million views in 12 hours

Artists from Billie Eilish to Corey Taylor posted tributes

“Chester’s rage. Em’s fire. LP’s soul. I’m shaking.” — @musicisrebirth
“This healed AND broke me at the same time.” — @stitchesthroughsound

An Anthem for the Unheard

More than a song, “Faint (2025 Reawakening)” is a cry from the edge.
It speaks to everyone who ever felt invisible, enraged, or broken.

Eminem, in a surprise post on Threads, said:

“I made peace with some things I’ve buried. This track ain’t for the charts. It’s for the shadows.”

Mike Shinoda added:

“It’s not closure. It’s continuation. Chester’s not gone — he’s just louder now.”

“Faint” is no longer just a nu-metal anthem.
It’s a torch passed from grief to glory.
And with Eminem and Linkin Park lighting the way, the silence has never sounded so alive.