Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 7/10

The structure and power is unmistakable. The deft tones and swirling highs of a guitar being treated with the respect it deserves and with a thump of the drums keeping time with the listener’s heart are all there struggling to be unleashed on a the music lover who surely knows what they are going to get when the Stone Temple Pilots rears their musical heads.

The vocals though are something different, something new and might leave the listener wondering if the debut E.P. for Stone Temple Pilots with Chester Bennington, High Rise is really the right direction for the rock group.

What the trouble might be in the ears of those who have followed with excited glee and the odd knee tremble is the major and obvious difference between Scott Weiland and Chester Bennington. The styles of the two front men are easily marked and where one is outgoing and a thrill ride for the senses, the other is more considered, almost painstakingly thought out on the approach to how the song should be performed. It is the difference between two men that is all. It shouldn’t affect the music.

In a way though it does and it is credit to the three remaining members of the band that the music carries so much weight to the E.P. on tracks such as Out Of Time, Same on The inside and Tomorrow that gives Chester Bennington the scope of purpose he is looking for in vocals.

Change is not always a bad thing, conversely it might take those with long standing memories of the band to see past the new way forward. No matter how good though Chester Bennington is, and there is no doubting his mercurial talent, there will be those who don’t give him the chance he deserves and will always refer to him as the vocalist in another worthy American band. That is a shame.

Music is music and when performed with honesty and not cashing in on a single gimmick can be devastating, it has the power to change people’s minds. It can only be hoped that it does with High Rise. It deserves the chance to shine.

Ian D. Hall