Another Supergroup Fails To Deliver The 'Super' Bit

Review Score: (8/10)
Weiland's vocals have been the tragic victim of major drug obsessions. As a result his voice is almost unrecognisable in comparison to STP's earliest records; his voice has a much regenerated sound. And it's obvious when listening to Contraband that a lot of the vocals are looped, seeming to suggest Weiland can't burst out those vocals consistently. Teamed alongside the old GnR crew, we get Velvet Revolver. Unfortunately VR sound more like a tribute band to either STP or GnR. But the album will still hit at least four times platinum, will have big hits in the charts, will be popular...but for the wrong reasons. For the band members pasts, they will be so popular. Audioslave all over.

There are some decent songs on the album, which is why I did give it a generous 4 stars. The opener `Sucker Train Blues' is a good fast paced rock song, reminiscent of GnR, without the electrifying guitar solos. Guitar solos surprisingly live short on this album, which, considering the pedigree of Slash, is a big letdown. Then comes an onslaught of average rock songs, mixed with a few good ones. `Illegal I Song' has an extremely catchy chorus, but wears off after a while. That sums up this album, wears off after a while. Just like Audioslave, it becomes `samey'. `Fall To Pieces' is a good slow song, and GnR fans will love it. With its mellow guitar riffs riddled with some excellent (rare) soloing, definitely one of the highlights on Contraband.

The simple, hard truth is that VR are nowhere close to their predecessors, in every department. Nonetheless this is an above average album, well worth 15 dollars. I recommend it if you want a decent rock album, but don't expect it to be the latest STP or GnR album.

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