Maximum Metal Rating Legend

Velvet Revolver - Contraband - 2004 - RCA Reviewed by: Nailer

Track Listing1. Suckertrain Blues 2. Do It For The Kids 3. Big Machine 4. Illegal I Song 5. Spectacle 6. Fall To Pieces 7. Headspace 8. Superhuman 9. Set Me Free 10. You Got No Right 11. Slither 12. Dirty Little Thing 13. Loving The Alien

I had high hopes for this one as did quite a few others. With the boys from GnR and Scott Weiland from Stone Temple Pilots, I expected a drink mixed with the belt of Appitite for Destruction, the over the top presentation and pretention of Use Your Illusion with a hearty splash of some slip-n-slide vocals and STP's reliance on riffs that carry songs. There was a lot of press on Scott's habits for this release with people taking odds on the amount of studio time vs jail time involved for his part. Really, I wanted to see VR lead a new pack of hard rock for the next few years. Sporting a slick James Bond cover, their license to thrill was revoked for the first half which has no memorable leads from Slash; no cool licks to spend hours memorizing. Everybody is in a supporting role with no strong personality coming across until the latter half and "Set Me Free". "Spectacle" is good and so is the 'You Could Be Mine Jr.' of "Slither". The Beatlesque melodies of "You Got No Right" add to the respectable final set over a lacking first half whos high treble production lacks comfort and warmth. Where's the next hopeful?


Score: 6.5


Bottom Line: Big hopes, but only an OK CD.



--Nailer 09.28.04
Velvet Revolver - Contraband 2004 RCA Records reviewed by: EC

Track Listing1. Suckertrain Blues 2. Do It For The Kids 3. Big Machine 4. Illegal I Song 5. Spectacle 6. Fall To Pieces 7. Headspace 8. Superhuman 9. Set Me Free 10. You Got No Right 11. Slither 12. Dirty Little Thing 13. Loving The Alien

The good Lord knows how hard it is to combine two bands into one. With Velvet Revolver, we basically get the pipes of STP with the battery of Guns 'N Roses. Velvet Revolver's debut release, "Contraband", features Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland on vocals, with the Guns 'N Roses staff minus Axl Rose. Confused yet? Well trust me, it doesn't get confusing until you give ear to this complicated, and rather frustrating debut.

After the break-up of Stone Temple Pilots, and the downfall of grunge music in the United States, Scott Weiland needed a big band to pay his booze bills. Guns 'N Roses desperately needed to find a replacement for their charismatic, loud-mouthed vocalist Axl Rose, who will go down in history as one of the most arrogant, problematic singers to ever hit the hairspray. The end result: The most talked about hard rock outfit to hit the newswire since Van Halen's comeback without Diamond Dave.

I really can't pin-point EXACTLY what it is about "Contraband" that leaves me both hungry for more, but at the same time feeling ill from digesting too much. Its a very odd feeling, and one that has me quite confused. This certainly doesn't live up to the hype, with the band receiving so much media attention. Weiland has been through the media, from battles over his drug use to reporters misconceptions regarding his role in Velvet Revolver. At the same time it isn't a complete failure, like say..oh..the last five comeback KISS records. Its a decent romp, but like so many bands today, suffers from poor production values.

Opener "Sucker Train Blues" steps in with a foot-stomping good time, jamming away like a modern rock band, most closely resembling the hard debut from Beautiful Creatures. Weiland's vocals are extremely low in the mix, and without reading the lyrics, you wouldn't have a clue what the man is jabbering about. "Sucker Train Blues" isn't really like Guns 'N Roses, instead bashing away a little more heavier. The chorus features a 90s rock vibe, not really going arena rock by any means, but offering enough to bite into. Slash shows up around the 3:00 mark, blazing away with a mean solo.

"Do It For The Kids", one of my favorite cuts, follows in a slower fashion, sounding more like Stone Temple Pilots or a dirty version of The Who. The chorus of the song is very 70s, reminding me of West Coast pop acts like Seals & Croft or even The Eagles. "Big Machine" is next, and sounds a lot like Guns 'N Roses, however the chorus is very simplistic and boring. "Illegal I Song" is just a terrible mess, not really making any progress through its frustrating four minutes. "Spectacle" offers up a more garage-based punk tune, not really what I would consider hard rock, and I was surprised to even find Slash & company show up for this. This song should have been left off the album.

"Fall To Pieces" is a pretty solid power ballad, with some nice melodic parts that could have been lifted straight from the 80s. "Headspace" simply rules the airwaves, throwing down a vicious down-tuned riff, combining on a doom ride via Cathedral or Sabbath. Weiland gets very personal here, demanding "Don't Let Any Of Those Fuckers In My Headspace", and begging reporters "no more questions". I respect that, and I like the personal touches. "Superhuman" smokes away in much the same way as "Fall To Pieces", with a more heavier aspect. Songs like this in my opinion are very innovative, not really concentrating on what particular style. Thats what made great bands like Van Halen appealing, their masterful ability to diversify.

"Set Me Free" explodes with a nice guitar buzz, delving into the pastures of White Zombie, with plenty of 70s west coast pop elements. "You Got No Right" is absolutely pathetic, reminding me of a Bob Dylan song. Just simplistic unplugged garbage made famous by 90s grunge acts capitalizing on bored teeny boppers. The album's first single, "Slither", moves to its own catchy beat, concentrating on a more metallic sound, and a single that got me stoked about the record in the first place.

"Dirty Little Thing" head-rocks like the opening song "Sucker Train Blues", with Weiland almost sounding out of control, completely over the top at times, but still focused enough to deliver a fast paced vocal romp. "Loving The Alien" closes the album, and like the other ballad on the record, is just a throw-away.

So bottom line is simple. Half killer, half filler. Not acceptable in my opinion for such a talented group of musicians and songwriters. If they could have taken out five or six tracks of the thirteen, then this would have been a really great record. Instead its a great album with the skip button nearby. Put on long-play, then it would be unbearable.


--EC 06.29.04