It is a loaded question. If you ask a casual fan from the nineties who the singer for Stone Temple Pilots is, they will instantly name Scott Weiland. If you ask someone who caught them at a festival last summer, they’ll tell you it’s Jeff Gutt. And if you’re a trivia nerd, you might even bring up that brief, strange, and technically proficient era with Chester Bennington.
The band is a bit of a ship of Theseus. How many parts can you swap out before it’s not the same boat? For STP, the engine has always been the DeLeo brothers’ jazz-inflected grunge chords and Eric Kretz’s swing-heavy drumming. But that hood ornament—the guy holding the megaphone—has changed more times than the band probably ever wanted.
The Weiland Foundation
Let’s be real. Scott Weiland wasn't just a vocalist. He was a chameleon. In the early Core days, critics beat him up for sounding too much like Eddie Vedder. It was unfair. By the time Purple and Tiny Music... Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop rolled around, Weiland had morphed into a glam-rock crooner, a psychedelic poet, and a terrifyingly charismatic frontman.
He had this way of slithering across the stage. It was dangerous. You never knew if you were getting the sharp, Bowie-esque professional or a man teetering on the edge of a total breakdown. That tension made the music better, honestly. It gave songs like "Interstate Love Song" and "Big Empty" a weight that most post-grunge bands couldn't touch. Weiland’s voice had this grit in the low end and a desperate, beautiful crack in the highs.
But the "singer for Stone Temple Pilots" role came with a lot of baggage during the Weiland years. Heroin is a beast. The band spent half the late nineties and early 2000s on hiatus because their lead singer was either in rehab or jail. It’s hard to maintain a career when your focal point is physically unable to be in the room. When they finally fired him for the last time in 2013, it felt inevitable, yet totally devastating. Weiland passed away in 2015, and with him, a very specific era of rock alchemy died too.
The Chester Bennington Experiment
In 2013, the rock world did a collective double-take. Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington was announced as the new singer for Stone Temple Pilots. On paper, it was weird. Linkin Park was nu-metal royalty; STP was the thinking man’s grunge.
But Chester was a lifelong fan. He grew up on these songs.
The High Rise EP showed what this version of the band could do. It was tighter. It was more professional. Chester could hit every note Weiland ever wrote, and he did it with a piercing, melodic clarity. "Out of Time" actually ripped pretty hard. But something was missing. It felt like a high-end tribute act where the backing band happened to be the original guys. Bennington eventually stepped away in 2015 to focus on Linkin Park and his family, leaving the DeLeos back at square one.
Finding Jeff Gutt: The Current Era
After an exhaustive global search—basically an open call where thousands of singers submitted tapes—they found Jeff Gutt. He was an X Factor runner-up, which made some purists roll their eyes. But then they heard him sing.
Gutt is the current singer for Stone Temple Pilots, and he’s been in the gig longer than most people realize. Since 2017, he has navigated the impossible task of filling a dead legend’s shoes without being a mere impersonator. He has the rasp. He has the range. Most importantly, he has the stamina to actually show up for the tours.
The 2018 self-titled album and 2020’s Perdida proved that Gutt wasn't just a karaoke hire. Perdida in particular is a gorgeous, acoustic-heavy record that forced Gutt to show real vulnerability. It doesn't sound like Core. It sounds like a band in their fifties reflecting on loss. Honestly, it’s some of the best work the DeLeo brothers have done in two decades.
Why it's so hard to replace Scott
There’s a reason people still argue about this on Reddit every single day. Scott Weiland’s lyrics were bizarre. He wrote about "flies in the vaseline" and "conversations with a mind-glass house." It was abstract imagery that felt deeply personal. When a new guy sings those words, it can sometimes feel like he's reading someone else’s diary.
Gutt handles this by leaning into the melody. He doesn't try to mimic Scott’s specific "slither," which is a smart move. If he tried to be Scott, he’d fail. Instead, he acts as a steward of the catalog.
The Logistics of a Legacy Band
People often ask: Why keep the name? Why not start a new project?
The music business is brutal. "Stone Temple Pilots" is a brand that sells tickets to 5,000-seat venues. A new name with the same members would struggle to fill a 500-seat club. It’s a pragmatic choice. The DeLeos wrote those riffs. They own the legacy. They have every right to keep playing "Vasoline" and "Plush" if they want to.
- 1989–2013: Scott Weiland (The Icon)
- 2013–2015: Chester Bennington (The Powerhouse)
- 2017–Present: Jeff Gutt (The Professional)
Each guy brought a different energy. Weiland was the soul. Bennington was the polish. Gutt is the bridge to the future.
What you should listen to right now
If you haven't checked in on the band since the nineties, you're missing out on some nuanced stuff. Don't just stick to the hits.
- "Meadow" (2018): This was Gutt's debut. It’s a classic STP stomp. If you close your eyes, you can hear how he fits the DNA of the band perfectly.
- "Fare Thee Well" (2020): From the Perdida album. It’s folk-rock, almost. It shows that the band can evolve beyond the "Big Dumb Riffs" of their youth.
- "Black Heart" (2013): The best track from the Chester era. It’s got a bit of a swing that Linkin Park never had.
Moving Forward with the Legacy
So, what’s the move for a fan?
Stop comparing them. It’s the only way to enjoy it. If you go to a show expecting the 1994 version of Scott Weiland to walk through those curtains, you’re going to be disappointed. That guy is gone. But if you go to hear one of the tightest rhythm sections in rock history play songs that defined a generation, you’ll have a blast.
Jeff Gutt has earned his spot. He's toured the world, recorded two solid albums, and kept the lights on for a band that could have easily folded a decade ago. He respects the throne he sits on.
To really appreciate the singer for Stone Temple Pilots today, start by revisiting Perdida. It’s the most "honest" the band has sounded since the mid-nineties. It’s not trying to be grunge. It’s just trying to be good music.
Actionable Steps for Fans:
- Deep Dive the New Stuff: Listen to the album Perdida from start to finish. It’s an acoustic journey that settles the debate on whether Gutt can actually "sing" (he can).
- Check Live Bootlegs: Go to YouTube and look up 2024 or 2025 live performances. The band is playing deeper cuts now—stuff like "Piece of Pie" and "Still Remains"—that they haven't touched in years.
- Follow the DeLeos: Keep an eye on Dean DeLeo’s interviews. He’s often very candid about the transition between singers and the technical side of their gear, which gives a lot of context to how the "STP sound" is maintained regardless of who is on the mic.
The story of the STP vocalist is a story of survival. It's about a band that refused to let the death of a legendary frontman be the final chapter of their book. Whether you're a Weiland die-hard or a new-era convert, the music is still there, and it's still loud.