First of all, Radiohead fans, this is where the drumbeat of "Airbag" comes from. STP got there first.

"Vasoline" endears itself to me as simultaneously gorgeous and garish.

Rhythmic ideas collide like radiation out of a solar flare. The drums and two-note verse guitars form polyrhythms, all sunk into a broth of threateningly aggressive hand drums.

The chord concepts are as adventurous as they are sneering in their originality. The guitar solo is another Dean DeLeo celebration of tonality and noise in less than 30 seconds, on an album full of his most productive work. The raspy, warbley vocal melody and harmonies by the departed Scott Weiland demonstrate why his work will outlive all the shrunken, prudish opinions of him.