When Linkin Park announced their comeback last year, it also came with a bit of a lineup change. Aside from Emily Armstrong stepping in for the late Chester Bennington on vocals, they also announced that founding member Rob Bourdon had decided to leave the band and would be replaced by Colin Brittain on drums.
Like many fans of other bands who have undergone lineup changes, Linkin Park enthusiasts can’t help but compare their new members to those from the past.
Recently, in the comment section of a Facebook post, one fan in particular criticized Brittain and negatively compared him against Bourdon. “This drumming is not at the level of the original LP, this drummer is wack,” they wrote.
Having seen the comment, Brittain took it upon himself to reply, and agreed he will never be as good as Bourdon.
“I’ll never be as good as Rob but I’m trying,” he responded.
Other fans in the comment section, however, came to Brittain’s defense. “Man, if only Rob were active on social media (I know he never was) he’d be the first in line to shut this kind of talk down,” one fan said.
“I don’t like to see that he has to sell himself short and that too in front of these internet trolls who aren’t even fans,” another wrote.
A third fan commented that they think Brittain has actually elevated Linkin Park’s music: “I lowkey think Colin is bringing it up a notch. Not saying I don’t like Rob, I LOVE HIM, but that fill Colin plays at the end of ‘Burn It Down?’ H e a v e n l y. And his drumming for ‘Lost?’ Gotta love it.”
Brittain previously addressed taking over for Bourdon in an Instagram livestream shortly after Linkin Park announced their comeback last September. “I’m not replacing Rob Bourdon, if anybody wants to know, “ he said. “My mindset isn’t replacing anybody. That was not the band’s mindset when we set out to do this. This wasn’t like anybody’s getting replaced. This is just, we’re moving forward.”
“It’s not trying to fill anybody’s shoes, just kind of add to what’s been built already. Rob’s an amazing drummer and he was really influential to me in my drumming. So trying to replace somebody like him would be unrealistic,” he added.
“I have huge respect for Rob and for Chester and for the band and everything that they’ve accomplished so far. So no intention of trying to quote, unquote, replace anybody, or whatever. That’s not what this is about.”
