Everything happens for a reason. The majority of global belief systems have this concept at their core. Notables from actress Marilyn Monroe to the Greek philosopher Leucippus believed in this. Fundamental to the matter at hand, it is a belief held by Scott Weiland, Dean DeLeo, Robert DeLeo and Eric Kretz, the members of Stone Temple Pilots. How else to explain the present beatific state the band currently inhabit than the concept of “divine obstacles” being deliberately placed in front of the band members in order that they fully realized their potential, strength, willpower and creativity. “Stone Temple Pilots,” the group’s sixth, eponymously titled album, out as of May 25, 2010 via Atlantic Records, is a testament to this concept. Stone Temple Pilot’s opening salvos revealed them to be Rock animals draped in traditional songsmith clothing. Equally at ease with the riff driven swagger inherent in “Sex Type Thing” and “Vasoline” as they were with the shimmering elegance that inhabited “Creep” or “Sour Girl,” the bands all-encompassing approach proved that any genre-specific tags gave short shrift to the sheer scope of their collective oeuvre. Emerging from their cocoon in 2008 the band reconvened for a tour that touched thousands upon thousands of fans thirsty to hear authentic organic music played by craftsmen at the zenith of their talents. For their first album in almost a decade Stone Temple Pilots decided to look inwards and mine the abundant resources they themselves had acquired since their inception.