Chester Bennington’s ‘Sexier’ Side

While his band was battling its record label and his own marriage was falling part, Linkin Park singer Chester Bennington busted out an acoustic guitar and started writing. “We took such a long time off after [2003’s] Meteora,” says Bennington. “I wanted to do something.”

After a few years of sporadic sessions, the 33-year-old singer is almost finished with his first solo album (produced by hard-rock hitmaker Howard Benson), a collection Bennington describes as “electronic-rock fusion,” adding, “There’s a feeling and a flow to the record. It’s got a vibe that people will be able to tell right away: ”˜That doesn’t sound like Linkin Park.’ ”

”˜Crawl Back In’ pairs a swaggering punk bass line with heavily layered vocals that echo Mellon Collie-era Smashing Pumpkins, while others ”“ such as the ballad ”˜Give Me Your Name’ ”“ show off the singer’s more melodic side. “There’s a sexier feel to some of the songs, because they are about making love or falling in love,” says Bennington, who remarried in 2005. “There were a lot of really positive and negative things happening at the same time.”

Turns out the optimistic numbers were harder for Bennington. “Music has always been a vessel to put all of my anger and frustration into,” he says. “It’s not easy to write a love song like the Cure does.”