Stone Temple Pilots started a singer search in February and ended the submission process this spring. But now the band is in the very crucial process of trying out some of the best of those who have expressed their interest. And while the band members have found some time to do things on the side, their focus is very much on finding a new vocalist to continue and add to the band's legacy.

In a new chat with Rolling Stone, brothers Robert and Dean DeLeo offered an update on the process and discussed what's at stake for the band's future. After a tumultuous split with Scott Weiland, the band picked right up and moved on with Linkin Park's Chester Bennington at the helm. But Bennington soon realized the time difficulties in balancing the two bands and last fall the singer and the band announced that they had amicably gone their separate ways. While some thought this might open the door to a reconciliation with Weiland, the vocalist passed away late last year.

"It's impossible to replace Scott. It really is. We created something that only the four of us could create," Robert DeLeo told Rolling Stone. "It's about moving forward, but it's also about someone honoring that and being able to get their creativity around that."

He added, ""Eric, Dean and I have something – we've been playing music half our lives and you can't just dismiss that. It's something that I appreciate and I cherish in my life and I want to continue doing that."

Also speaking about the desire to resume creating Stone Temple Pilots music, Dean DeLeo stated, "We've got a lot left in the tank musically speaking. We're trying some singers out to continue Stone Temple Pilots, and we'll see where that goes, see where that takes us."

The audition process has already begun, but there are still vocalists left to be seen. "We're looking for somebody that fills a lot of criteria. Man, woman. There's a couple of people we really dig and we have some more coming in," explained Dean DeLeo.

Earlier this year, Robert DeLeo told us that the band would like to have someone in the vocalist slot as soon as possible, but did add that it is a very big decision. "We’re talking about the next 5-15 years of playing music. It’s a very big decision to make," said the bassist, who also added, "We just want to make sure that we make sure."

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