For a while, STP outpaced their contemporaries at least in terms of hit singles, racking up constant plays on MTV and rock radio with "Plush," "Creep," "Big Empty," "Vasoline," "Interstate Love Song," and "Big Bang Baby." Each of their signature hits boasted a canny blend of crunching classic rock riffs, psychedelic flair, and candied pop melodies, a combination that helped the songs endure beyond the band's '90s heyday. The quartet of Scott Weiland, Dean and Robert DeLeo, and Eric Kretz had a foot planted in two seemingly opposed camps, cutting their teeth on the Southern California hard rock circuit of the late '80s yet working steadily with Brendan O'Brien, who also produced albums by Pearl Jam, one of the biggest bands to hail from Seattle, the birthplace of grunge. Stone Temple Pilots complicated this narrative considerably. The alternative rock explosion of the 1990s was framed as a triumph of authenticity: grunge wiped out the sleazy hair metal of the '80s and ushered in an era of real, dangerous rock. For a while, STP outpaced their contemporaries at least in terms of hit singles, racking up constant plays on MTV and rock radio with "Plush," "Creep," "Big Empty," "Vasoline," "Interstate Love Song," and "Big Bang Baby." Each of their signature. “It feels so good to put the band back on the tracks, and we can’t wait to get out there and see all of you,” Dean says.The alternative rock explosion of the 1990s was framed as a triumph of authenticity: grunge wiped out the sleazy hair metal of the '80s and ushered in an era of real, dangerous rock.
This year, STP will begin writing the next chapter in its storied career with a new album and the group’s first North American tour since 2015. That experience truly helped us gel as a band.” “All of a sudden, the pieces fell into place and we had a song. “Dean was messing around with some chords on an acoustic and I started to sing along,” Gutt recalls. It also happens to be the first song all four members wrote together. The dreamy vibe continues on “The Art of Letting Go,” a wistful ballad anchored by Gutt’s heartfelt lyrics and haunting melody. On “Thought She’d Be Mine,” Gutt laments a lost love accompanied by a kaleidoscope of swirling guitars that slowly dissolve into a sparkling coda. “Roll Me Under” glides along a nimble bass line before slamming into the chorus, where Gutt’s muscular baritone digs in.Įlsewhere on the album, the band tempers that unbridled aggression with a willingness to take the kinds of musical risks that enriched albums like Tiny Music… Songs From the Vatican Gift Shop (1996) and Stone Temple Pilots (2010). The first single “Meadow” and “Never Enough” channel the gritty guitars and swaggering rhythms that STP perfected on Core (1992), Purple (1994) and No. The band does just that on Stone Temple Pilots (2018).
The best way for us to honor our past is to keep making new music.” Robert DeLeo says: “What impressed all of us is how he lets the song dictate his direction instead of the other way around.” Kretz adds: “The chemistry was there from the start…We ended up finishing 14 songs, which is the most that Stone Temple Pilots has ever recorded for an album.”ĭespite being one of the best-selling bands of the 1990s with platinum records and a Grammy® to its credit, Dean DeLeo says, “We are thrilled about what lies ahead.
Gutt moved quickly, crafting melodies and writing lyrics for tracks the band had finished, and collaborating with them on new music.
Soon after, the newly minted quartet assembled in Los Angeles with engineer Ryan Williams at Robert DeLeo and Eric Kretz’s studios to begin writing and recording STP’s first album in eight years. Dean DeLeo says they wanted someone who had the vocal range to do the catalog justice, as well as the confidence and creativity to carve out a new path forward with the band. The band’s founding members – Dean DeLeo, Robert DeLeo and Eric Kretz – officially welcomed the Detroit native to STP last year after conducting an 18-month-long search for its third singer. It’s the group’s seventh studio album since its 1992 debut, but the first to f eature new singer Jeff Gutt. Stone Temple Pilots are reborn on the band’s latest – Stone Temple Pilots (2018).