12 FEBRUARY 2020 (TORONTO, ON) – Grey Daze, Chester Bennington’s pre-Linkin Park band, take fans behind the scenes into the making of their forthcoming album Amends, with an eight-part video series dubbed Making Amends.
The web-based series explores the Phoenix-based band's beginnings,
their motivation for reuniting, how the album was made and the musicians
who pitched in to ensure Chester’s dream of a Grey Daze reunion and
album release were fulfilled. This 8 part series will rollout weekly
on the band’s Youtube channel for the next 2 months, leading into the
release of their new album.
The band recently announced that Amends, their
eagerly-awaited album, featuring newly recorded music with re-mastered
vocals from the group’s long out-of-print, and largely undiscovered,
catalog, will be released on April 10 via Loma Vista
Recordings/Universal Music Canada, the country's leading music company.
Two singles have been made available as well: “Sickness” and “What’s In
The Eye” .
Amends is the origin story of one of modern rock’s most
recognizable voices and also a full circle moment among friends. The
album is the fulfillment of a planned Grey Daze reunion that Chester had
announced prior to his untimely passing. The remaining band members –
Dowdell (drums), Mace Beyers (bass) and Cristin Davis (guitar) – along
with Talinda Bennington (Chester’s widow) and his parents, made it their
mission to see the project through with assistance from Tom Whalley,
the founder of Loma Vista Recordings and former Warner Bros. Records
Chairman during Linkin Park’s tenure at the label. Dowdell, Beyers and
Davis selected the tracks from the band’s mid-90s, but largely unknown,
catalog and re-recorded the music in 2019 to accompany Chester’s
re-mastered vocals. Produced by Jay Baumgardner, several musicians leant
their time and talent to the album, including Korn’s Brian “Head” Welch
and James “Munky” Shaffer, Paige Hamilton (Helmet), Chris Traynor
(Bush, Helmet, Orange 9MM), LP, Jasen Rauch (Breaking Benjamin) and Ryan
Shuck (Orgy).
Dowdell and Talinda Bennington recently spoke with Rolling Stone
about the project, discussing how it came to fruition and the emotions
of sharing this album with the world. “He wanted to do Grey Daze again
because the music was awesome, he loved it back then, and he was excited
to be able to create,” Talinda shared in the Rolling Stone
piece. “Doing it now that he had all this experience under his belt – he
had accomplished so much and come so far since then – he was excited
about it. I can hear him now. He’s like, ‘F**k yeah!’”
Amends is available in a variety of collectible formats with several iterations available exclusively via the band’s website (https://found.ee/GD_AmendsStore).
The CD comes as a 16-page case-bound book; a first pressing, ruby red
vinyl variant exclusive to the band’s webstore; and a numbered deluxe
edition featuring both a CD and LP, which includes the first ever disc
tray designed for vinyl, as well as a 60-page book with
never-before-seen photos and 180g red and white splattered vinyl.
Digital and other standard versions of the album are available here: https://found.ee/GD_Amends.
Pre-orders include instant downloads of “What’s In The Eye” and
“Sickness.” A CD single is also available at independent record stores
nationwide, featuring both new singles “What’s In The Eye” and
“Sickness,” as well as a $3 off coupon for the full album, Amends.
Grey Daze formed in 1992. The Phoenix-based band went on to independently release two albums: Wake Me (1994) and no sun today
(1996). Grey Daze parted ways in 1998, with Chester serendipitously
auditioning for the Los Angeles band Xero, who later became Linkin Park.
In 2017, Chester announced Grey Daze’s reunion, which would see the
band re-working and re-recording a collection of songs they had started
two decades earlier. The project was shelved in July 2017 but with the
blessing of Chester’s widow, Talinda, and his family, Grey Daze
regrouped and finished the album. Amends represents an
important yet unheard chapter – the origin story of one of modern rock’s
most recognizable voices – and also a full circle moment along friends.
Grey Daze is Chester Bennington (vocals), Sean Dowdell (drums), Mace
Beyers (bass) and Cristin Davis (guitar).