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THE REVIEW
The new supergroup formed from the ashes of Guns N' Roses (3/5), Scott Weiland (former Stone Temple Pilots), and an unknown rhythm guitarist, Dave Kushner, is already working on the second album with the support of hip-hop producer and singer Pharrell Williams.
The first work, "Contraband", from 2004 received various nominations at the 2005 Grammy Awards, notably the single "Slither", which however was beaten by "American Idiot" by Green Day. A good album, not extraordinary but nonetheless crafted by artists with a great deal of experience behind them and now among the best in the world. You can feel more of the influence from Weiland's former group, which emerged in the early '90s thanks to a genre they adopted, light-years away from conventional Hard Rock and closer to the Grunge movement.
It must be remembered that Duff McKagan, VR's bassist and former GN'R, is from Seattle, the capital of the street-grunge movement, so he had no difficulty adapting to the genre the Revolver play. The other former Guns had a bit more difficulty: Slash seems to have lost his old spark and also seems lost, having to play in a genre far from his much-loved blues; Matt Sorum manages, even though for a group like this I'd see more of a Grunge-style drummer, like Jack Irons from Pearl Jam.
Nonetheless, the record is nice, a bit tough to listen to for long stretches. "Slither" is very engaging, fast, and explosive, with Duff McKagan, reportedly, majestic. Then, slower but not bad is "Fall to Pieces", in which Scott Weiland stands out for his vocal versatility and incisiveness. Even "Big Machine", at least technically, is very energetic. In "Dirty Little Thing", it's like hearing the Slash of old: precise, incredibly fast, and devastating in terms of incisiveness.
In the other songs (technically nothing to say about these either), there's a bit of a lack of originality. Among the best is also "Set Me Free", the soundtrack for the movie "Hulk". Finally, it's worth noting that this is a good rock album; after all, 4 out of 5 members of the group come from very important bands in the '80s-'90s rock scene; therefore, even though the VR project is a commercial operation, and it shows, the CD isn't bad, even if not excellent.
In my opinion, these VR only need a bit of originality that could distinguish them from other supergroups of the genre, such as Audioslave, etc. So, we look forward to their second album "Libertad", which will be released toward the end of the year.
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Summary by Bot
Velvet Revolver's 'Contraband' is a solid debut by a supergroup formed from members of Guns N' Roses and Stone Temple Pilots. While the album is well-crafted and features notable tracks like 'Slither' and 'Fall to Pieces,' it lacks originality compared to other bands in the genre. The album shows strong musicianship, especially from Duff McKagan and Scott Weiland, but Slash seems somewhat out of place stylistically. Overall, it's a good rock album with room for growth.Tracklist Lyrics Videos
Velvet Revolver
Velvet Revolver is an American hard rock supergroup formed in 2002 by former Guns N' Roses members Slash, Duff McKagan, and Matt Sorum with Scott Weiland (ex–Stone Temple Pilots) and Dave Kushner. They released two studio albums, Contraband (2004) and Libertad (2007). Their single Slither won the 2005 Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance.10 Reviews
Other reviews
By Vic Sorriso1
Slash rock has been dead for at least 15 years????
You Velvet Revolver aren’t transgressive today, you’re just scum adding to the scum.
By f.factor
Finally, a real singer at the front: Weiland performs admirably even with a repertoire that is not quite typical of his past.
Velvet Revolver and their Contraband... one of the best things heard in the Rock’n Roll scene in recent months.
By Laskar_nec
Just hearing the simply superb opening track, "Fall to Pieces," technically excellent, with a feeling that hasn’t been heard in hard rock for quite some time.
If 90% of critics called it the best rock album of 2004, there’s certainly a reason.
