When Velvet Revolver formed earlier this decade, many critics hailed it as the great super-group destined to fail. The bands four-fifths of Velvet Revolver came from, Stone Temple Pilots and Guns N’ Roses, crammed decades worth of feuds, drug use and excess into just under a decade of limelight. Could these same guys, with a little age and new-found sobriety, keep it together and crank out some good ol’ rock ‘n’ roll?
Hell yeah, they can!
Velvet Revolver’s latest album, Libertad, which is Spanish for freedom, has Slash, Duff McKagen, Matt Sorum, Scott Weiland and Dave Kushner all hitting new musical high points. On its second album, VR has become an extremely cohesive musical unit, with more mature songwriting and some extra-hard rocking.
Libertad opens with the high energy of “Let it Roll” and “She Mine.” Slash sounds a bit reserved in his first guitar solo, but amps it up at the end of the song with some speed picking techniques. On the straight-ahead rocker “She Mine,” Weiland’s raspy drawl and double-tracked vocals – reminiscent of his STP days – dominate.
“She Builds Quick Machines” is VR at its best, with all pieces of the song working together. The rhythm guitar, bass and drums hold down a bluesy-rock rhythm while Slash and Weiland play off each other in the verses. The toned-down bridge shows the bands ability to build from soft to hard while Weiland is wailing. Slash kicks in right on cue with a bluesy, heavy metal solo.
VR’s softer side appears several times on Libertad. “The Last Fight” favors vocal melody and chord progressions over faster strumming. On a harder song, the band would use heavy guitars and cymbal crashes to build up the ending. On “The Last Fight,” the song’s backing vocals provide the climactic build-up.
All things rock are found on this album. “American Man” brings some classic rock vibes into the chorus. “Mary Mary” injects melodic vocals and guitar into a grungy song. “Just Sixteen”exemplifies VR’s fast-paced, riff-driven hard rock. “Spay,” the heaviest song on the album, just rocks its way through riff after riff.
The best thing about Slash’s playing on this album is all of it sounds so quintessentially Slash. It’s got the same face-melting flavor he introduced on Gn’R’s classic Appetite for Destruction: A combination of blues, heavy metal and rock. Whether he’s using the talk box, wah pedal, slide or just straight playing, his lead riffs seem to be perfectly crafted off Weiland’s vocal melodies and the rhythm guitar. When soloing, Slash is not off his own little world, but follows the band’s changes exactly, giving his solos immense shape and depth.
Weiland also seems to be hitting vocal and lyrical landmarks. “Pills, Demons & Etc.” is a brutally honest letter, perhaps to his former self with lyrics like “you got your demons and your wasted life.” The laid-back music of “Gravedancer,” the album’s closer, allows his vocal range to shine.
Libertad stands strong next to the legendary catalog of these musicians. VR shows no evidence of being plagued by any of its members’ past problems, and has cemented themselves as one of today’s most intense rock bands.
Contact reporter Marc Shapiro at diversions@dbk.umd.edu.
