AceShowbiz -

Slash has addressed for the first time the firing of Velvet Revolver's vocalist Scott Weiland, citing that the band is actually "relieved" after his departure. The guitarist also told RollingStone.com that they have had some candidates for the empty slot but won't reveal names yet.

"Everybody's just very relieved," Slash told RollingStone. "This is something that's been coming down for a while. I know everybody is tying the STP (reunion tour) thing to it, but it started way before that. We just had a lot of commitments to fulfill, so we just had to drag this thing out until the obligations were finished. Basically, we're just excited about finding someone else and moving on."

The band announced Weiland's official departure earlier this month after a series of "erratic behavior" from Weiland. On who will get the vocalist position now, Slash said, "There's some people, but it's really premature to start naming names. We actually worked with a guy, I won't mention his name, before we left to go to the U.K. and there just wasn't enough to break him in, so we're gonna work with him again some more, and maybe some other guys as well."

Slash also said that Weiland's suggestion of replacing him with former Skid Row vocalist Sebastian Bach is rather not "imaginative". He said, "I'm not sure if that was meant to be a pot shot or what. Whatever, it's not worth any real drama."

The band announced last month that they are recording the follow up to "Libertad".