Scott Stapp has spoken about the impact the death of singer Scott Weiland had on him.
Weiland was found dead on his tour bus in December 2015 after an accidental drugs overdose when he was on the road with his band The Wildabouts.
Like Weiland, Stapp has had well-documented struggles with substance abuse in the past – and when he took over from Weiland in Art Of Anarchy, Stapp says it gave him the “desire and drive to stay sober one day at a time.”
Stapp tells Music Radar: “Scott Weiland’s life affected me outside his involvement with Art Of Anarchy. His life was a reminder to me of where my life was headed if I continued to use alcohol and drugs.
“Having that reminder that he used to sing in this band was almost like him speaking to me from the grave, saying, ‘Brother, you need to stay on the straight and narrow or this is what could happen to you.’
“That’s really impacted me in my desire and drive to stay sober one day at a time.”
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Stapp reports he was initially hesitant about joining Art Of Anarchy as he didn’t want to enter an situation where alcohol and drugs were commonplace.
But after meeting with the rest of the band and finding out they operated in a clean environment, both sides moved forward which has resulted in their new album The Madness – out on March 24 via Century Media.
Stapp continues: “Scott Weiland left the band prior to his death. They had a falling out and never toured.
“So the way he affected me was in my approach, knowing that these guys had had a relationship go sour, so I wanted to go out of my way to show these guys I was a humble guy, a team player and to give them a positive influence as well – to revive their faith in what it means to be in a band.”
Last month, Art Of Anarchy released a lyric video for the track No Surrender – a track Stapp revealed was fuelled by his part troubles.
Art Of Anarchy The Madness tracklist
- Echo Of A Scream
- 1000 Degress
- No Surrender
- The Madness
- Won’t Let You Down
- Changed Man
- A Light In Me
- Somber
- Dncing With The Devil
- Afterburn
