The new vocalist for Stone Temple Pilots has discussed the desires he had for the group’s latest album, explaining that he attempted to “honour” the previous singers of the group with his performance.
Back in March, iconic ’90s rockers Stone Temple Pilots released their seventh album, and first since their 2010 reunion album. However, the interim saw the group experience a few lineup changes, with original vocalist Scott Weiland being let go from the group, only to be replaced by Linkin Park vocalist Chester Bennington.
Sadly, 2015 and 2017 would see the passing of Weiland and Bennington, respectively, leaving the remaining members of the band with the choice to find a new vocalist if they wished to continue as a group.
While the band announced the recruitment of new singer Jeff Gutt late last year, plenty of fans would have been understandably apprehensive about bringing a new guy into the fold. However it seems as though their fears were pretty unfounded, with Gutt explaining to Tommy Carroll of US radio station WGRD-FM (via Blabbermouth) that his wish for the new record was to only honour the legacy of the group’s previous frontmen.
“It was full freedom, but I felt the responsibility of making sure it was an STP record at the end of the day,” explained Gutt of the record’s creative process. “‘Cause my whole thing was helping them continue their journey.”
“I feel like it was less about me; it was more about honoring Scott [Weiland] and honoring Chester [Bennington] and everyone that has ever been involved in STP and making sure that it just kept going the way it should.”
“It was a lot of work,” Gutt continued in regards to writing the new record. “But they put in the time in writing a lot of the stuff before I even got there. So it was kind of seamless, really. It just kind of fell into place and it was very organic and it was very real.”
While the group’s latest self-titled album was released back in March, there’s no word yet as to whether or not the band will be showcasing their new vocalist in Australia any time soon.
Check out Stone Temple Pilots’ ‘Interstate Love Song’:
