About

Grey Daze began in Phoenix in 1993, when drummer Sean Dowdell teamed up with a 17-year-old Chester Bennington. Playing raw, grunge-fueled rock in Arizona clubs, the band self-released two albums, Wake Me (1994) and No Sun Today (1997). They split in 1998, and Chester went on to front Linkin Park.

The friendship never ended. In 2017, Chester and Sean announced a Grey Daze reunion to re-record the songs the way they had always wanted them to sound. Chester passed away that July, before the work was done. With the blessing of his family, the band finished it. Amends (Loma Vista, 2020) reached #2 on the Top US Rock Albums chart and #1 in the UK, with more than 85 million streams and guest performances from members of Korn, Bush, Helmet, P.O.D. and Breaking Benjamin.

The Stripped EP and a track for DC Comics' Dark Nights soundtrack followed in 2021. In 2022, The Phoenix, featuring members of Jane's Addiction, Filter and Stone Temple Pilots, hit #5 on the Top US Rock Albums chart and #2 in the UK.

In 2023, singer Cris Hodges stepped in and Grey Daze played live for the first time in decades. Guitarist Kenny Bulka and bassist Evan Nichols joined in 2024. Since then the band has headlined the Whiskey a Go Go and toured the UK and Europe in 2024 and 2026, pushing its sound toward a modern electro-grunge blend of heavy guitars, electronic textures and the emotional weight it was built on. New music is on the way.

Lineup: Sean Dowdell (drums), Kenny Bulka (guitar), Evan Nichols (bass), Cris Hodges (vocals)

Photography: Aram