Artist: Stone Temple Pilots With Chester Bennington
Release: High Rise
Release Date: Out Now
If there is one thing you can say about Stone Temple Pilots career it is that it has certainly been eventful! They exploded into the conscience of the rock world in 1992 with their gazillion selling debut album ‘Core’. Riding on the coat tails of the Grunge movement, many at the time saw them as jumping on the genre but they gained a hugely dedicated fanbase one that has stuck with them. There has been public spats, drug addiction, back stabbing, you name it the band have done it but somehow lived to tell the tale, always delivered strong albums and the fans have kept loyal. Could this be the end of that?
Scott Weiland has always been the face and voice of Stone Temple Pilots. A stunningly magnetic frontman, volatile, outspoken and along with the brothers DeLeo they have delivered classic albums. They admit there has never been much love lost between them but they have always risen above that and delivered both live and on record. Until now. One too many arguments has seen the frontman (and founder) no longer in the band but they have returned. Returned with a new singer and, in an act that has bent many a nose out of joint, have kept the name Stone Temple Pilots.
They have kept the name but added ‘with Chester Bennington’ due to the Linkin Park frontman and long time fan of the band being the new frontman but the million dollar question…. have they damaged their legacy or will their new EP ‘High Rise’ silence the naysayers.
The EP opens with debut single ‘Out Of Time’ and you can’t deny, it sounds good, it sounds like Stone Temple Pilots. Then the vocals set in and something seems just wrong. There is no doubt that Chester Bennington is a fantastic vocalist. He has proved time and time again with Linkin Park and his side projects that the dude can really sing but here something grates. It’s like he is doing an impression of Scott Weiland, this was his time to stamp himself on the band, maybe send them somewhere new and exciting. It is almost cringe worthy. Weiland was one of a kind, ok he may not be the nicest man on earth but he was a world class frontman with a highly recognizable voice, one that should not be imitated.
Sadly this stands out throughout this 5 track offering. The music, as always, is fantastic, it is Stone Temple Pilots. The songs too could be great but you just can’t get over the vocals. Whereas once upon a time the band would release a track that oozes sleaze and you would believe every word that dripped from Weilands lips, with Bennington it just feels forced, it feels fake.
I guess that is probably the main thing about this mini offering, it feels forced and that is a sad day for all fans of the band. Stone Temple Pilots needed to prove here that they were more than their former singer, they could do it without him, all this proves is that they need him more than ever.
5/10
