Credit: Frank Maddocks In 2018, Linkin Park's Mike Shinoda released his debut solo album Post Traumatic, a diary of his grief process following the death of his band mate Chester Bennington, who died in July of 2017.
Shinoda kicked off the year by releasing an EP containing his first three solo songs. "At its core, grief is a personal, intimate experience," Shinoda said. "As such, this is not Linkin Park, nor is it Fort Minor -- it's just me."
In March, Shinoda then announced that he'd be releasing a full solo LP, Post Traumatic, in June. He described the record of a "journey out of grief and darkness, not into grief and darkness."
Guests on the album included Deftones frontman Chino Moreno, K.Flay and grandson, as well as rappers Machine Gun Kelly and blackbear. Shinoda celebrated the album's release with a performance on The Tonight Show alongside The Roots.
In October, Shinoda embarked on his first U.S. solo tour to support Post Tramautic. During each show, he would pay tribute to Bennington with a performance of the Linkin Park classic "In the End."
While Shinoda pursued his solo project, questions regarding the future of Linkin Park persisted. In January, Shinoda said that he had "every intention on continuing" the band, which had not performed together since the Bennington memorial concert in October 2017. As the year continued, Shinoda's quotes regarding Linkin Park remained hopeful, but inconclusive. Currently, the status of the band is unknown.
Mike Shinoda wasn't the only rock artist to go solo in 2018. Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello and Korn's Jonathon Davis also released albums under their own names for the first time in 2018.
Morello dropped The Atlas Underground in October. The album was stacked with guests, including K.Flay, Portugal. the Man, Rise Against's Tim McIlrath, Mumford & Sons' Marcus Mumford and Gary Clark Jr., plus rappers Vic Mensa, Big Boi, RZA and Killer Mike.
Morello supported The Atlas Underground by hosting intimate listening events around the country, during which he'd play the album and tell stories about the collaborations. He's planning a full-scale tour behind the record in 2019.
Davis, meanwhile, released Black Labyrinth in May. The dark, theatrical record spawned the singles "What It Is" and "Basic Needs." He launched his first U.S. solo tour in April.
Davis also suffered a huge loss in 2018 when his estranged wife Deven Davis unexpectedly passed away in August.
Copyright © 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.