The early 2000’s were an incredible time for hard rock supergroups. You had Audioslave, which combined the musical talents of Rage Against the Machine and the vocal prowess of Chris Cornell (Soundgarden) who is easily my favorite rock vocalist of all-time and it’s not even close. So it was probably no coincidence that their debut album ended up being one of my favorite rock albums ever when they released it in 2002, a stunning debut that frankly changed the game for all rock supergroups who would ever follow.
And then you had the equally compelling Velvet Revolver, which took the heavy metal geniuses from Guns N’ Roses, added a sprinkle of Wasted Youth, and mashed that all together with the grungy grime of Chris Weiland from Stone Temple Pilots. Weiland isn’t on Chris Cornell’s level (no one is) but goddamn was this ever a good combination of rock legends putting out a really great record. You put Slash behind the six string and he’s gonna blow you away regardless, but this group never felt like a throwaway thing as they waited for Axl Rose to get his shit together. It felt like it’s own thing. A thing that was built to last. The band certainly benefited from the core of their rhythm group having played together for two decades prior (lead guitar, bass, and drums all hailed from GNR) which certainly led to their cohesive sound.
But Contraband feels like a band who had been playing together for years on end. Weiland nails the sleazy rock vibe to utter perfection. I don’t think there was a vocalist at the time who could have hung around with Slash & Co. in the way he did in 2004. It proved to the world that the boys from Guns N’ Roses still had a lot left in the tank and gave Weiland a second chance at redemption after a tumultuous fallout with Stone Temple Pilots. Long live sleaze rock.
Standout Songs: “Do It For The Kids”, “Illegal i Song”, “Fall To Pieces”, “Headspace”, “Set Me Free”, “Slither”
