Before late musician Chester Bennington found fame singing for nu metal band Linkin Park, he fronted Phoenix rock band Grey Daze (1992-1998). His bandmate, longtime best friend and Club Tattoo business partner, drummer Sean Dowdell, bankrolled the rerecording of Grey Daze songs using Bennington’s remastered vocal tracks into an album called Amends (scheduled for release June 26). Dowdell gave us some details.
How does Grey Daze’s sound compare to Linkin Park?
Our influences were Jane’s Addiction, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Bush… the revisited version of Grey Daze is a more modernized version of that post-grunge sound. We’ve got keyboards, and it sounds more current and relevant. It doesn’t sound anything like Linkin Park, other than Chester is the singer.
What’s your favorite Grey Daze song on Amends?
Probably “Soul Song.” I love the lyrics Chester wrote on that one. They’ve taken on a whole new meaning to me since his passing. All these songs took on new depth. In the very first line, he sings, “I will be waiting with a song in my soul.” It’s very special to me.
What made you decide to complete this project after Bennington’s suicide?
We dreamt about finishing the music together, and we didn’t get to finish that dream. So, I just took it on my shoulders with the other guys. I said, “We’ll just put it out on our own. We don’t need a record deal or any of that B.S. the young rock stars are chasing. I just want to finish the music.” So, I did.
