Xero (5)

Xero (pronounced "zero") was a nu-metal/crossover band from California, USA. Formed in the winter of 1996 by Mike Shinoda and Mark Wakefield, they were later joined by DJ Joseph Hahn, guitarist Brad Delson, bassist Dave Farrell and drummer Rob Bourdon. In November 1997, the band released its first and only demo tape, Xero. Dave Garrett, the bassist of both Karma and Relative Degree, was the bassist of Xero for a brief time and even practiced with the band for a brief time in the winter of 1996 before Dave Farrell joined the group as bassist. Vocalist Wakefield was fired from the band in December of 1998 following a public showcase at the Whiskey A Go Go on December 10, 1998 that went horribly and was replaced with Chester Bennington, the former vocalist of grunge band Grey Daze, in March of 1999. Bassist Farrell left soon after Wakefield due to touring commitment with Tasty Snax. Among others, the band tried out Andrew Lanoie as his replacement. Soon after Chester joined, the band was renamed to Hybrid Theory (2) and in May 2000 to Linkin Park. The band was also briefly known as "Xero 818" in 1998, due to the existence of other bands called "Xero".