Scott Weiland is Reborn (Again)

The ex-Stone Temple Pilot has been seeking redemption for over a decade. Maybe this time he’ll actually deserve it.

The drug busts, the DUIs, the pimp suits — Scott Weiland might well have been the most destructive rock star, who’s still alive today, of the past 20 years. But the singer’s also been incredibly successful. He’s sold more than 35 million records worldwide as the frontman of grunge titans Stone Temple Pilots and ‘00s rock supergroup Velvet Revolver. Getting booted from both bands for said recklessness, of course, has left whiskey stains on his legacy.

“There are always things I look back at in my career and say, ‘I wish I would’ve done this,’” Weiland sighs over the phone. Among his sore spots: a slew of million-dollar STP tours cancelled in the ‘90s due to his descent into drug addiction. “Hindsight is 20/20 for things I could’ve done differently.”

But now, a chance at redemption, again. Call it a re-redemption: he’s got a new band, Scott Weiland & the Wildabouts, and a new record, Blaster. His fingers are crossed that these 12 tracks of no-nonsense rock will free Weiland from his frontman-for-hire purgatory, and maybe even earn him a spot beside the Vedders and Cobains, hell, even the Hommes and Turners of the alt-rock pantheon.

“I haven’t been this excited since Core [STP’s debut] to make an album,” says Weiland, who recorded the songs with a band of pals. “I am artistically beyond satisfied with it. I hope it resonates with my fans. I hope we get new ones as well.”

More than a grunge throwback, Blaster is a showcase of the versatility in Weiland’s slithery, sinful voice. He delivers low baritones over Sabbath-y riff rock (“Modzilla”), high rasps over catchy power pop (“Amethyst”) and tender croons over sun-baked ballads (“Circles”). It’s classic, hair-raising Weiland — a reminder of what’s been sorely missing from STP (who’ve received lukewarm reviews with their new frontman Chester Bennington) and Velvet Revolver (who still haven’t found one).

What Weiland’s trying to do — starting anew without the band(s) that made him famous — is a daunting feat for any lead vocalist. Critics and audiences are stubborn; they’d rather hear the old hits. It’s why Chris Cornell abandoned Audioslave to resurrect Soundgarden, and why Billy Corgan ditched Zwan to reform the Smashing Pumpkins (in name, at least). Weiland, by comparison, has garnered critical acclaim quite consistently—whether with STP, Velvet or by his lonesome. (We’ll forgive him for that Christmas album he made in 2011.)

Not that Weiland doesn’t see the value in nostalgia. In 2013, the remaining members of STP slapped him with a lawsuit for playing the band’s material at solo shows. But he isn’t sore about it. In fact, he’s up for meeting them sometime for a beer. Or, you know, a reunion tour.

“The lawsuit’s all behind us now,” he says. “I don’t have any ill will or negative feelings. The Wildabouts are what I’m about now, but one thing I’ve learned is that you can never say never in rock n roll.”

Sure, Weiland still sounds like a frontman-for-hire. But if Blaster proves anything, it’s that he’s one of the best vocalists on the market—and in all of rock n’ roll. That’s his legacy, stains and all.