We interviewed Bring Me The Horizon’s Oli Sykes as part of our in-depth homage to Chester Bennington in this week’s issue of the magazine. We felt that posting what he said here would be cool. Let’s get right to it:

Chester and I initially met in America in 2014. I was somewhat anxious because it was for a Kerrang! cover shot. I was also thrilled, but I wasn’t sure if I should be gushy or cool. He was incredibly kind and kind to me when I chose the later option.

We questioned one another on a wide range of topics. He asked me how I managed to play every day for six to eight weeks without losing my voice while we were on the Warped Tour. I told him that I wanted to be in a band since Linkin Park was the first band I ever saw perform live. When I told him how much he inspired me, he seemed genuinely surprised. He appeared to be humbled and truly grateful for it. He was quite kind, sincere, and composed. Like many things in my life, I wouldn’t have believed it if I could travel back in time and told my 14-year-old self it was going to happen.

“I recall a Kerrang problem! back when a picture from the Linkin Park performance I attended had my eyeball and a portion of my head in the backdrop. I cried uncontrollably when I saw myself in the magazine when I got home because I thought it was so incredible. I would have been blown away if someone had grabbed me at that moment and told me, “One day, you’re going to be on the front cover of Kerrang! with Chester.” It’s one of those times when you pause to reflect on your accomplishments and take stock of everything you’ve done.

When I first heard Linkin Park, I must have been around 13, and to be honest, music had never really influenced my life before then. Then I thought, “Fucking hell, this is really cool!” after watching a Linkin Park video on Kerrang! TV. They were the band that really drew me into the scene; I felt as though the words were speaking directly to me and the music was calling to me. After that, I became interested in metalcore and hardcore, but I always listened to their most recent releases.

Another major source of inspiration was Chester’s voice. I had a lot of respect for him. He served as the standard since, in my opinion, no one sounds like him. He was a very famous and distinctive vocalist. I don’t believe anyone has ever sounded like him before, and I doubt anyone ever will. I wanted to strive for that combination of melody, catchiness, and violence.

I was in Los Angeles, not too far from the scene, when I learned of his passing. To be honest, I didn’t believe it at first. I felt strange when I realized it was real. Although many great musicians have passed away throughout the years, none have had the same influence and impact on my life as he did. The choice I made in life is truly due to him as a vocalist and his band. It’s a weird sensation to lose someone you don’t really know—I met him, of course, but I couldn’t call him a friend. Despite the fact that I didn’t truly know him, I feel as though I miss him.