I transcribed this from the music liftout section today in Sydney newspaper The Daily Telegraph. It's good to see VR getting great reviews in the Aussie press!
Listen UP: Album of the week
Contraband - Velvet Revolver
4.5/5
Review by Kathy McCabeIt is impossible to listen to this album and not draw comparisons with the bands that came before, primarily Guns N' Roses and Stone Temple Pilots.
And yes, there are guitar riffs that could only be played by Slash and Scott Weiland's voice has it's distinctive moments. But there is a freedom and a collective ambition which drives the songs beyond being the sum of their parts.
And the lads have definitely ignored the fads and fashion with this uncomprimising collection. These songs are so far away from what modern rock radio stations are playing, they will undoubtedly stand out for that alone.
You can almost hear Slash giving Matt Sorum, Duff McKagan, Dave Kushner and Scott Weiland a sly grin as they start rocking out on sexy sleaze rock anthems like
Big Machine or the single,
Slither.
Their rock assault is relentless, particularly on the spat-out, straight-ahead rock of
Spectacle or
Headspace. For closet power ballad fans, rock lite is well represented with
Fall To Pieces, which undoubtedly draws on Weiland's much-publicised battles with his drug demons. There's no preaching: he's simply over being slave to addiction.
You Got No Right provides the listener with some ear candy, stopping just short of sugar overdose.
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