Slash

Going to be speaking w/my good friend, Pierce Morgan on CNN later this afternoon. Before that, at Sirius, an acoustic set wMyles. iiii]; )'

Yeah, this man cannot rest.

Wow, Ain't Life Grand!!! Another cool and unexpected addition to the set

Slash - 'Apocalyptic Love' album review

Jason Bodak
Columbus Heavy Metal Music Examiner
http://www.examiner.com/review/slash-ap … bum-review

'Apocalyptic Love,' the second solo album by recent Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Slash, was released today. His first, self-title album was a star-studded affair, with many of hard rock's elite contributing vocals or making instrumental appearances. Slash eschewed the guest musicians this time and used his solo band (collectively known as Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators) exclusively. This is the same band, sans rhythm guitarist Bobby Schneck, who has been touring with Slash for the past couple years and recorded the excellent live album, 'Made in Stoke 24/7/11' (read my review here). 

Those familiar with Slash and his immediately identifiable guitar style won't hear too many surprises on 'Apocalyptic Love,' just another album bursting with the axe legend's trademark bombastic guitar excellence. Slash is one of the all-time greatest guitarists in the hard rock genre and this album is another chapter in his testament to rock and roll. There's a few really cool curveballs thrown at the listener: check out the beautiful acoustic intro to "Anastasia," which was influenced by Johann Sebastian Bach's "Toccata and Fugue in D minor." Overall, however, 'Apocalyptic Love' is a large, overflowing Easter basket of ear candy for the hard rock connoisseur. 

Slash is still too young for critics to begin talking about his body of work as a whole, but his new album does give a career retrospective. Sleazy, rowdy, uptempo tracks like "Hard & Fast" and the magnificent "One Last Thrill" sound like songs Guns N' Roses would've recorded back in their mid-1980s demo tape days. Kennedy's vocal gymnastics in the latter song are something to hear; he belts out more words a minute than most Slayer songs. "Standing in the Sun" goes even further back, and wouldn't sound out of place on a mid-1970s Aerosmith album. On the flipside, "Not for You" is very reminiscent of the 'Use Your Illusion' era of GN'R. Ostensibly about finally growing out of the rock and roll lifestyle, Kennedy imbues the melancholy track with a lot of emotion and Slash injects so much feeling with his guitar, this is one of the best songs of its kind I've heard in a while.

The aforementioned "Anastasia" is a whole new beast though: starting off with that delicate acoustic guitar, the song builds up into a hard-driving rocker that slightly recalls 'Appetite for Destruction' but with fancier and more mature fretwork. It just illustrates how much better Slash has got since the 80s. He might be better known as a lead guitarist, but his rhythm skills are just as superb. Check out the great riffs that propel "Bad Rain" and "You're a Lie."

"Anastasia" is not the only ballad either. The penultimate track, "Far and Away," features another phenomenal vocal performance by Kennedy. There's a reason why he is in such demand, from Slash to the Scott Stapp-less Creed (better known as Alter Bridge); heck, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham wanted him to work with them! He truly is one of the best vocalists around.

It's too bad Slash and gang only played two songs from this album at Rock on the Range on Saturday (read my review here). 'Apocalyptic Love' probably won't make anyone forget about 'Appetite for Destruction' but it utterly blows the new "GN'R" album 'Chinese Democracy' out of the water. From Guns N' Roses to Slash's Snakepit to Velvet Revolver, Slash has created a body of work that few guitarists ever do, and his recent solo albums are vital, critical components to his growing, vibrant legacy.

4/5

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