Album Review: Pilots Fly High, Crash Land

"Never trust a junkie" is a tired adage, but for the first time in three years, Stone Temple Pilots have proven that faithful fans can occasionally rely on high profile addict Scott Weiland to come through with his talent. Weiland and fellow Stone Temple Pilots Eric Kultz, Dean Deleo and Rob Deleo come close to a superlative creation with their new album, mockingly titled No. 4.

A year and a half ago, Stone Temple Pilots verged on the edge of non-existence, for Weiland's continued struggle with his drug problem was putting undue stress on the rest of the band with regard to touring and recording. Luckily, Talk Show, an STP album without Weiland's lyrical and vocal talent, spurred the other band members to pine for the chemistry that once produced musicianship that helped define grunge. Thankfully for anxious STP fans, No. 4 satisfies the STP craving fans were so ruefully denied.

The record capitalizes on the desire of fans to hear old-school, "Plush" grunge. No. 4 capitalizes on the interplay between the hard rock emphasis of STP's debut album, Core, and the lessons in eclectic beat formation and poppy renditions of 1994's Purple and 1996's Tiny Music from the Vatican Gift Shop. In many respects, the album seems to reflect a band that is almost too happy to be creating together again, so instead of the work indicating musical growth it becomes a stylistic retrospective.

The album opens with the radio-friendly "Down." The hard guitar riffs and big rock sound, combined with Weiland's whiny, albeit pleasantly grating, voice conjure memories of the early '90s rock. The power chords and simplistic drop D chords make the song sound vaguely like "Big Empty," the major hit from Purple and The Crow soundtrack.

The album loses steam with the next two tracks. The songs inspires the interpretation that Weiland and the rest of the band, after discovering they can still play, do not know what to do with this discovery. "Heaven and Hot Rod" sounds like a weaker track off of thrash-heavy Core, while "Pruno," with its misplaced melancholy overlaying an excessively melodic and syncopated bass line, is reminiscent of a bad Sting song.

For the fan of STP's hauntingly melodious songs, "Church on Tuesday" is a tremendous treat. The song recalls favorites such as Purple's "Vasoline" and "Pretty Penny", with the framing of Weiland's somber vocals around Dean Deleo's masterful lead guitar. The album, after "Church on Tuesday," becomes the record that a well-versed STP was waiting for. "Sour Girl" is another almost-ballad, revealing the band's ability to mix pop melodies with a dark and gloomy bass line. The band is still capable of experimentation, especially on the track "No Way Out," but one wishes that STP had been riskier with distortion and electrical manipulation on No. 4. Weiland clearly has the ability, as his solo project 12 Bar Blues revealed, yet he fails to share what he has learned with the rest of the band.

However, the album does not leave one feeling cheated. A song less typical of STP's musical range, "Atlanta," rewards the patient listener. "Atlanta" weaves Weiland's vocals with beautiful accompaniment. The sound of the words in harmony with the rest of the band creates a pleasant, self-reflective surprise. One can only hope that more songs like "Atlanta" come out of the studio.

For now, No.4 does more than mollify a deprived STP fan. While some songs are overly indulgent of the past, listeners will be pleased to hear good late '90s Alternative-grunge from a band that contributed to the early '90s movement. This album is not STP's best, but it is self-reflective and diverse enough to maintain band loyalty, grace the airwaves, and please old fans. B+