Velvet Revolver - 'Contraband' (BMG)
3/5
By: Lauren Gallagher
Is hair-metal really back? Amidst a flurry of indie kings such as Franz Ferdinand and The Killers taking over the airwaves, Velvet Revolver's debut 'Contraband' stands out on the racks at HMV like barbed wire to its docile competition.
Yes, the trend for pretty pastel-striped shirts and disco-tinged dancefloor burners has failed to infiltrate the bastion of metal formed by the recent collaboration of some of the most seminal artists in the last 25 years of rock. Former Guns N' Roses members Slash, Duff McKagen, and Matt Sorum join with former Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland and Wasted Youth's Dave Kushner to choose black leather and big hair (well, Slash does) over today's foppish trends. And the result stands a somewhat bizarre blend of hair-metal glory days and an attempt at something more. Whether or not Velvet Revolver achieved that at large, is a matter of debate.
'Slither' will most certainly get heads bashing with its grinding guitar, and Slash's refreshingly classic solo, while Weiland's voice seems in best form here when it swaggers knowingly, taking the tempo down a notch on the chorus, allowing the depth of his holler to come out. Ballad 'Fall to Pieces', elsewhere, satisfies the requisite slow-mo' portion of the album - Slash's riff trickles down like a melting glacier, but is this enough to save it? Be forewarned, you may just crave 'Patience'.
While you run away from the haunting guitar of 'Illegal i Song', drums chase you down the street, proving wonderfully threatening when combined with the languishing of paranoid whispers. 'Illegal' boasts moments of innovation, but it's not enough to save us from turgid monotony.
And when the rhythm and vocals of 'Sucker Train Blues' and 'Dirty Little Thing' hold such similarities, déjà vu is inevitable: didn't we already hear this? No-one doubts their technique; Slash's knack for pausing just when you want that note to linger, to fall, and then twang back is as steady as an old bluesman, Duff's bass is steady, and Soren's drums prove addictive. But Scott Weiland's attempt to sound like Johnny Rotten in their live cover of 'Bodies' misses the boat - by a longshot. You can even see Rotten wince. 'It's a bloody disgrace.'
Those who crave a return to hair-metal days may find Velvet Revolver a refreshing elixir. Yet if you were hoping this collaboration would open doors to a new era, you may still be left slightly longing. No, 'Contraband' doesn't seem capable of initiating a new movement - but it may well make you put your Cuban heels in the closet, hang up your lined blazer, and strap on the boots and slide back into some leathers.
Artists in this article: Velvet Revolver
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