Although former Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland isn’t on fond terms with his ex-bandmates, the singer says there’s no bad blood between him and his replacement, Chester Bennington of Linkin Park.

“I don’t think Chester did it in a spiteful way,” Weiland told Billboard, adding that the two singers became friends when their bands toured together on the 2001 Family Values Tour. “The brothers DeLeo can be pretty persuasive. . . . I guess nothing is totally shocking.”

Weiland was fired by STP back in February, after which he was sued by the band’s remaining members for allegedly misusing the band’s name to push his own solo work. Weiland then countersued the rest of the band over their use of the Stone Temple Pilots name, while also accusing them of conspiring against him.

So while Weiland harbors no ill will toward Bennington, he took a sterner tone regarding STP’s current incarnation. “I don’t think it was smart for them to do that,” he said. “I’m surprised they did what they did without checking the legality of it, how they just decided to go and use the [STP] name and go and hire another singer and start playing shows with a name that I still am an owner of.”

Weiland isn’t just sitting around while the he and his former band are tied up in their legal battle. He’ll be on the road with his band the Wildabouts through August and he hopes to finish a new album before the end of the year.