Re-Branded Contraband

As this new decade creeps closer and closer into our lives, we here at Metal Top Hat would like to continue our feature on 20 of our favorite albums released in these past 10 years.

Many strange and interesting events occurred in 2004. In presidential news, Ronald Regan passed away at the grand ole age of 93 and incumbent George W. Bush was re-elected to a second term in office. At the box office, Spider-Man 2 set opening weekend records while another sequel, Shrek 2 lead the way for total global grosses. In other news, a Tsunami rocked south Asia, Mars got a few visitors, and USC won the first of it's 4 Rose Bowl games of the decade.

Following two soundtrack standouts for 2003's Hulk and The Italian Job, Velvet Revolver was a surging supergroup on the rise. Comprised of a chunk of Guns N' Roses, a vein of Stone Temple Pilots, and Dave Kushner, star power was clearly not an issue and in the Summer of 2004 they released their debut full length, Contraband.

Debuting at #1 on Billboard's Top 200 list, the album would soon go on to double platinum status behind a somewhat tepid critical response. Stand out tracks include: "Slither", the lead single garnered VR a Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance; "Big Machine", a pounding track showcasing Weiland's scratchy, harsh vocals; "Superhuman", another STP flavored track enhanced by Slash's signature singing guitar; and the ever-corny ballad "Fall To Pieces" (video after the jump).

With the success of Contraband, I couldn't help but hope that rock music might return to it's previous glory but alas, it seems to have been a mere mirage amid the vast desert of mediocrity that Rock and Roll has become. VR toured in support of the album to sold out venues globally and followed it up with the less than stellar Libertad and is currently on indefinite hiatus after Weiland returned to the helm of STP.

This album was a staple of my collection in 2004/2005 and although some of the songs mesh together and I find myself often singing the wrong words, it was certainly one of the biggest albums of the decade. While GN'R fans held our collective breath as postponement after postponement of Chinese Democracy were announced (we would have to wait 4 more years for that one), Contraband gave to us something concrete to hold onto, a new chapter in the development of some of our favorite musicians.

Next up: do the words "old timey" mean anything to you?? They do to us.... stay tuned to Metal Top Hat as we continue our look back at the music of the New Millennium. PEACE!