June 8, 2004 - Velvet Revolver and Contraband

A week after my last release a new band joins my library when Velvet Revolver released their debut album "Contraband" on June 8, 2004. But who is Velvet Revolver? They are a hard rock supergroup formed by former Guns 'N' Roses members Slash (lead guitar), Duff McKagan (bass) and Matt Sorum (drums, percussion), former Wasted Youth member Dave Kushner (rhythm guitar), and formerly of Stone Temple Pilots, Scott Weiland (lead vocals). This album went straight to #1 on the charts upon release and was very popular, sporting four singles, all of which got significant radio airplay. Let's see what Velvet Revolver are all about!

The album opens with "Sucker Train Blues" and McKagan is the backbone of the main riff with some cool bass as the rest of the band builds around him with a decent rock riff. Weiland sings quickly overtop in a solid verse and he sounds decent in the chorus holding lots of longer notes. Slash's guitar is solid but nothing too flashy until the solo where he shows off a little bit. They jam out a few choruses to predictably finish things off and this was a solid rock opener but I don't think it's quite as epic as they were hoping for. Up next is "Do It For The Kids" and Weiland delivers a nice opening line ending with "I don't even give a fuck!", then the band nicely kicks in with a pretty cool main riff led by some much catcher guitar from Slash. The chorus is a little slow and kind of takes the air out of things I find, but the verse is catchy and solid enough. Slash delivers a pretty good little solo after a couple rounds but everything is very formulaic and predictable as they jam out the chorus way too many times to end things. Track 3 is "Big Machine" and McKagan starts us off with some more solid bass before they move into another main riff that is definitely not bad, but it's pretty simple and not very exciting honestly. Weiland repeats the name of the song A LOT in the chorus and this is definitely one of the weaker songs for me, it's just so basic. That sums up the whole four and a half minutes! The next track is "Illegal I Song" and they dive into a decently catchy main riff with Slash playing some cool guitar and Sorum adding some nice drums in the background as well. Weiland sounds solid on this one both in the verse and in the smooth chorus. This definitely fits the more classic hard rock template these guys are going for and I'm surprised this one wasn't a single as I find it quite accessible but also pretty good. They do slow things down for a bit in a quiet bridge that doesn't have much to offer, perhaps that's why. Weiland is near screaming at the end of the song in a pretty heavy finish though! Track 5 is "Spectacle" and it's driven by a decently catchy main riff with Slash and Kushner syncing up on guitar. Things sound solid, but they don't stray from the main drag and nothing is really jumping out in the verse or the chorus. Slash delivers a decent guitar solo to spice things up a bit, but the rest of the song is just a bit above average. Up next is "Fall To Pieces" and it's arguably Velvet Revolver's biggest song with Slash leading the way with a slow, slightly sappy but undeniably smooth and accessible main guitar riff. Weiland sings a smooth verse to match the mood and his voice and the guitars both pick up as they move into the really catchy chorus driven by a louder version of the same catchy main riff. It's a no-brainer of a single with it's sappy, pop-y vibes but aside from Slash's epic solo it's a very repetitive song that I think is definitely one of the lesser ones on the album. Track 7 is "Headspace" and it's driven by a heavy and pretty damn cool main riff by Slash that gets the head banging right away! Weiland sings a solid verse overtop and I'm much more into this heavier, higher energy song even if most people aren't! Slash is on top of his game throughout this whole song, but especially in one of his best solos on the album where he's shredding real nice! This is some cool hard rock for sure! The next song is "Superhuman" and Slash plays a slow but interesting lead guitar riff and the rhythm section forms a cool heavy riff behind him in this slightly funky main riff. Weiland sounds solid in the verse but he reverts to his more bland singing style in the chorus, although the chorus riff is decently heavy and cool. They stick to the main drag on this one but it's a largely good main drag until some cool super distorted stuff towards the end. Track 9 wad actually the lead single called "Set Me Free" and Slash leads the way with a fast and pretty sweet main guitar riff while McKagan and Sorum provide an upbeat and solid rhythm section. When the guitar stops Weiland sings an interesting low verse that sounds pretty cool, then the guitar returns as they move into a more typical hard rock chorus. Slash's guitar keeps things interesting the whole way through and it's a little repetitive but still pretty good. Up next is "You Got No Right" and it's got a slow, much lighter main riff led by some acoustic guitar! Weiland sounds decent singing a light verse that matches the mood well and things sound smooth albeit not all that exciting. Eventually the guitars turn electric, but it still doesn't really spice up the average chorus. Slash tries to make the solo epic but even it can't Dave what is a pretty sappy song and another lesser one for sure. Track 11 is their other massively succesful single called "Slither" and McKagan and Sorum start us off with a cool rhythm section, Kushner comes in next on rhythm guitar, then Slash kickstarts things with one hell of a catchy and cool main guitar riff. It's an undeniable headbanger and along with a pretty smooth verse by Weiland it's no surprise at all that this one was extremely popular. The chorus is super catchy as well with more great guitars and it's hard not to get into this made-for-radio instant hard rock classic! Slash's solo is pretty awesome as well and everything sounds great the whole way through! It's not often that a band's lead single is actually the beat song on the album, but I think this is one of those times! The next track was another popular single called "Dirty Little Thing" and Slash plays a simpler but still pretty catchy main riff to drive this one along and Weiland sings a fast verse overtop that sounds pretty good. The chorus riff is really simple and not that exciting, but Weiland carries things with a well-sung chorus. After the next round it's solo time and Slash shows off on this one with some of his best shredding on the album! The rest is pretty predictable but still not a bad single by any means. The final song on the album is "Loving The Alien" and it's another slow and sappy, acoustic-driven song that is definitely not what I'm looking for from these guys. If the verse wasn't bad enough they find another level of sappy rock in the chorus with Weiland sounding very whiny and Slash playing the saddest electric guitar riff. It's pretty smooth I guess but it's just not my thing at all. Weiland tries to hit some really high notes but I don't think he does a great job, then Slash plays a long solo but it's nothing too flashy. A disappointing way to wrap things up.

That is the end of "Contraband" and I thought it was a good album with a few pretty cool songs, but it also had a few sappy ones and some parts were fairly basic. The heavier stuff is obviously my favourite and while I think this is a worthy addition to the library, it is my only full album by Velvet Revolver. We will hear from them again though!