Yeah, Chris Pepper, I am one of those people.
I don't like that they fired Weiland. I think STP should have rested and Weiland let his other creative side go to the solo stuff or whatever else, and then Kretz and the Bros to do their own creative thing. THEN come back fresh to STP.
I would have liked for CheSTP to be a brand new band/new name or Talk Show 2.0. I think their keeping the STP name and going forward with Chester is going to ruin the STP legacy. People can say it is all Weiland, but Weiland is the face of STP. All his drama and whatnot goes with STP. No one knows who the O3 members are, so they need the name. Chester can't save STP. He'll always be in Weiland's shadow.
The EP, well, Robert is always saying that they are always writing. If it were true, why does the EP sound rather soft? If you fire the face of the band and you know you're going to get shit, bring out the rock music! Get into people's faces! The EP does not do that. They better go in head first for the next album or music release, because CheSTP is going down fast.
Look, I bought the digital download of the EP, I have the physical CD. I watched the live stream on Saturday and both encores and enjoyed it, even though I've never liked Chester's voice. I'm going to their concert next month, but seriously, ONLY going to see the 03 and hear the music live. I am trying really hard to get into this new STP. It's not working.
This band is Talk Show/AoA to me. I absolutely liked both bands.