Grey Daze is an American rock band from Phoenix, Arizona formed in 1993. They are best known for being one of the first bands of Linkin Park vocalist Chester Bennington. It was co-founded by Bennington and drummer Sean Dowdell, the band's only remaining original member.
History
Grey Daze was formed in 1993 by drummer Sean Dowdell alongside Chester Bennington, both previously members of Sean Dowdell and His Friends? in addition to guitarist Steve Mitchell and bassist Jonathan Krause. Although they saw several lineup changes, the band remained together for five years, releasing two full-length albums: Wake Me in 1994 and ...No Sun Today in 1997. In 1998, Bennington and bassist Mace Beyers left the band due to internal conflicts. The band continued for three years longer, but no further recordings were released and the band ultimately disbanded. In 1999, Bennington joined the band Xero, which later became Linkin Park.Rolling Stone Magazine, Linkin Park – Biography (March 14, 2002), The Linkin Park Times; retrieved on June 24, 2007. The band's former guitarist, Bobby Benish, died on September 28, 2004 at the age of 36.
The band remained inactive until a proposed reunion by Bennington in 2017.Grey Daze's Sean Dowdell Remembers Chester Bennington | SPIN, February 12, 2020 Due to Bennington's death not long after, the reunion never took place. However, work soon began on what would become the album Amends. The album was eventually finalized and released in June 2020, using Bennington's original vocals on top of re-recorded instrumentation, consisting of original members bassist Mace Beyers and drummer Sean Dowdell, joined by Cristin Davis on guitar, in addition to a number of collaborations with Bennington's friends and family. The album was met with positive reception upon its release and peaked at number 75 on the Billboard 200.
In January 2021, a five-track EP titled Amends...Stripped was released, containing acoustic versions of songs from Amends.
In June 2022, the band released their second full-length album since their return, titled The Phoenix. The album uses Bennington's original vocals similar to Amends. The album contains ten tracks, including singles "Saturation (Strange Love)" and "Starting to Fly" and featured guest appearances from Bennington's daughters Lily and Lila, as well as Dave Navarro of Jane's Addiction and Richard Patrick of Filter. The album received generally positive to mixed ratings.
Members Current members Sean Dowdell – drums, backing vocals (1993–2001, 2017, 2019–present) Cristin Davis – guitar (2017–present) Cris Hodges – lead vocals (2023–present) Kenny Bulka – guitar (2024–present) Evan Nichols – bass (2024–present)
Past members Jason Barnes – guitar (1994–1995, 2017) Bobby Benish – guitar (1995–2001; died 2004) Chester Bennington – vocals (1993–1998, 2017; died 2017) Mace Beyers – bass (1995–1998, 2017, 2019–2024) Jonathan Krause – bass (1993–1995) Steve Mitchell – guitar (1993–1994) Dave Sardegna – bass (1998–2001) Jodi Wendt – vocals (1998–2001)
Discography Album Album details Peak chartpositions AUS AUT GER SWI UK UKRock US Wake Me Released: October 1994 Formats: CD, — — — — — — — ...No Sun Today Released: May 23, 1997 Formats: CD, — — — — — — — Amends Released: June 26, 2020 Formats: CD, LP, download, streaming 30 29 9 17 62 1 75 The Phoenix Release: June 17, 2022 Format: CD, LP, download, streaming — — 27 87 — — — "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.
EPs Amends...Stripped (2021) #ForYouChester (2022) More Than I Can Offer (2026)
Singles Title Year Peak chart positions Album US Main. USRock USRockAir. "What's in the Eye?" 2020 — — — Amends "Sickness" 2 35 11 "Sometimes" — — — "Soul Song" — 40 — "B12" 29 — — "Anything, Anything" 2021 — — — The Phoenix "Saturation (Strange Love)" 2022 — — — "Starting to Fly" — — — "Drag" — — — "Fake Little Lies" 2025 — — — rowspan="5" "Still Screaming" — — — "Shadows" — — — "Monster You Adore" 2026 — — — "More Than I Can Offer" — — —
Music videos YearTitleDirectorAlbum 2020"What's in the Eye" Zev DeansAmends"Sickness" Nico Poalillo and Brandon Rottman"Soul Song" Jaime Bennington"B12" Marc Silverstein"In Time" Daniel Silva and Danilo Silgepe"Shouting Out" 2022"Saturation (Strange Love)" Marc SilversteinThe Phoenix"Starting to Fly" Heidi Gadd"Drag" 2025"Fake Little Lies"Aramis Duran rowspan="4" "Shadows" Cristin Davis and Aramis Duran 2026"Monster You Adore""More Than I Can Offer"
References
External links