After Weiland’s death, the remaining members of Stone Temple Pilots ”“ bassist Robert DeLeo, guitarist Dean DeLeo and drummer Eric Kretz ”“ began a year-long search for a new singer. The band had over 15,000 submissions and hosted 50 auditions before hiring Gutt, a former member of nu-metal act Dry Cell and a recent contestant on The X Factor.
“Mr. Weiland paved quite a way,” Dean DeLeo told Rolling Stone. “Because not just anybody can sing this catalog. You need someone who really knows how to sing. And Jeff kind of has it all, man. He has that baritone, and he’s also able to get into that tenor world. He’s a real singer.”
Stone Temple Pilots recently finished recording their seventh full-length album, which is due out in spring 2018.