Stone Temple Pilots and Chester Bennington Join Forces on ‘High Rise’
It’s been a dramatic year for Stone Temple Pilots. The revered hard-rock band split with former frontman Scott Weiland back in February, and the two camps have since battled over use of the STP name.
However, that turmoil has led to the birth of new music. The band’s remaining members (guitarist Dean DeLeo, bassist Robert DeLeo, drummer Eric Kretz) recruited Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington as their new singer, and this new quartet created the High Rise EP, out October 8th.
Stone Temple Pilots Finalize EP With Chester Bennington
The band has already offered a taste of the EP with the greasy “Black Heart.” Now fans can explore the writing and recording of High Rise in this exclusive clip, which features intimate studio footage and band interviews. In it, Bennington talks about the excitement and sheer terror that came with joining a veteran band with a devoted fanbase. “([I] immediately said yes,” he says. “Then I was like, ‘Oh, shit’ – I just said yes!”
The band is emphatic that Bennington is a full-fledged contributor, not just a high-profile singer. “It wasn’t forced,” says Robert DeLeo. “It was something we instinctively made happen. It’s undeniably STP.”
Added Dean DeLeo, “I’m very proud to have had the honor to have worked with Scott [Weiland] in the past – really, at a time when there was no one better, in my opinion. I’m really, really excited about what we carved out, and I’m just as honored and just as proud of what we’re embarking upon right now.”
Bennington closed more bluntly: “This is our band now. We’re not fucking around.” Check out tour dates and more info at the band’s official website.