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Stone Temple Pilots

Although parting ways on less than amicable terms in 2003, there was never a question of if, but rather when would the San Diego based hard rock group Stone Temple Pilots get back together to record some new music. And sure enough, with Army Of Anyone put on indefinite hiatus in 2007, and front man Scott Weiland’s rather public departure from Velvet Revolver in 2008, Stone Temple Pilots reunited after their five year split, and undertook a highly successful North American tour. Two years on, and the four piece act have finally returned with their long awaited sixth album ‘Stone Temple Pilots’, which is their first full-length album of new material since 2001’s ‘Shangri-La Dee Da’. Looking over the band’s long and storied career, it’s clear that while Stone Temple Pilots have a sound that is quite identifiable, they’ve never made two albums that have sounded the same. And true to their form, ‘Stone Temple Pilots’ is unlike anything the band have attempted before in the past, with the album revealing a greater pop and country influence seeping through their familiar alternative/hard rock sound.

The opening track and first single ‘Between The Lines’ is unashamedly classic rock sounding with its big heavy riffs and straightforward sounding structure. But as sound as the music is, it’s Weiland’s strong sense of melody and his powerful and provocative lyricism and his equally high profile rocky relationship with his ex-wife) that gives the song that something special. ‘Take A Load Off’ is fairly typical of the Stone Temple Pilot’s hard rocking fare, with Weiland plucking out melodies that compliment Dean DeLeo’s cranking classic riffs, while ‘Huckleberry Crumble’ has the band unmistakably channelling Aerosmith. Despite its strange title, ‘Hickory Dichotomy’ is definitely one of the album’s strongest efforts with the song’s hard rock shell revealing a bit of a country influence, while Weiland’s half spoken/half sung vocals (Reminding me in some ways to Duff McKagan or Iggy Pop) is absolutely classic. The Beatles-like ‘Dare If You Dare’ is catchy, but a little too repetitive in the choruses after a while to really be called a stand out, while the blatant lightweight pop vibe of ‘Cinnamon’ is a sound that Stone Temple Pilots’ have never tried before, and comes across as a little disposable with repeated listens. The big retro riffs and thundering drums in ‘Hazy Daze’, the heavy ‘60’s shuffle of ‘Bagman’ and the simplicity of ‘Peacoat’ does manage to return listeners to familiar Stone Temple Pilots territory, but inevitably gives the latter half of the album a bit a filler feel, with the songs themselves passing by with little making them stand out from the ordinary. The faster paced ‘Fast As I Can’ is marginally stronger and catchier, and ‘First Kiss On Mars’ and the country/piano based ‘Maver’ are noteworthy tracks, but all are too laid back and lack that certain rock edge to pick up the tail end of the album enough to make it memorable all the way through.

On this deluxe edition, we’re treated with an additional four tracks, with ‘Samba Nova’ the only studio bonus track of the four. ‘Samba Nova’ is a chilled out and quieter sort of number, and something that could have easily been lifted from the tail end of ‘Shangri-La Dee Da’. Again, it’s a good track, but doesn’t quite fit anywhere on the album stylistically. Finishing up the album are three live tracks (the classic ‘Vasoline’, ‘Hickory Dichotomy’ and ‘Between The Lines’), all of which were recorded in Chicago. Needless to say, all three are great live recordings, with the band sounding in top form.
As a big fan of Stone Temple Pilots, I’m not blind enough to say that everything the band has produced has been gold. The problem is that as good as ‘Stone Temple Pilots’ is, there are too many songs that don’t sound all that remarkable. Add to that the lack of genuinely rocking efforts compared to the mid-paced material, and you have an album that doesn’t have the impact you would expect of a band that are finally making their all important returning album. Overall, Stone Temple Pilots sixth effort is good, if a little forgettable towards the tail end. Sadly, it’s nowhere near the great comeback record I was hoping from the band.