Bring Me The Horizon frontman Oli Sykes has revealed that the late Chester Bennington inspired him to join a band and pursue music as a career.
In an interview with Kerrang, Sykes spoke of the emotional heartache he went through after the Linkin Park frontman passed away tragically this July, as well as how much of an inspiration Bennington was on his formative years.
“I must have been about 13 when I first heard Linkin Park and, to be honest, music had never played that much of a part in my life to that point,” said Sykes.
“Then I saw a Linkin Park video on Kerrang! TV and it made me think, ‘Fucking hell, this is really cool!’ I felt like the music was speaking to me, the lyrics really resonated, and they were the band that really got me heavily into the scene.”
Sykes went on to praise Linkin Park and Bennington for the impact that had on the path he ended up choosing in life. “I know we’ve lost a lot of great artists over the years, but no-one had the impact and influence on my life that he did,” he said.
“Him as a vocalist and his band are genuinely responsible for the path I chose in life. Losing someone that you don’t actually know – obviously I met him, but I couldn’t call him a friend – is such a strange feeling. I feel like I miss his presence, even though I didn’t really know him. I think it’s important that you grieve and appreciate what you and we’ve all lost.”
Sykes recently joined Linkin Park live on stage at a Chester Bennington tribute concert. Check out some footage of the gig below.
