Slash - Slash

After doing a review for the new Slash album, Apocalyptic Love, and being disappointed, I've opted to throw on the first (self titled), and better, album and enjoy.

This album features fourteen tracks with 12 different vocalists. Myles Kennedy performs on two separate songs and one is an instrumental. The best part about this album is that it all sounds like Slash, but Slash doing a variety of styles. This isn't just a basic, "Look Slash is playing guitar", album. It's a collection of songs that show growth, personality, and excellence.

The album opens with Ghost, this track has Ian Astbury performing vocals. Now, I've never been a fan of The Cult. I enjoy various songs, but I would never call myself a fan. That's a title I'm not worthy to carry. However, I did like his work with The Doors about a decade back, and I think it was because of that he's on here. I'm not saying he's channeling his inner Jim Morrison, but that vocal sound the two share in common helps push this song ahead.

I also like Slash's guitar styling. It has the sound that clearly screams "Shut up! Slash is playing." But, it still sounds different from his normal Rock style. This is a little more fancy, and modern sounding.

Crucify The Dead is the second song. This features Ozzy, and sounds like a typical Ozzy song with Slash rocking the guitar. I enjoy the song, but it's nothing special. I can't stand The Black Eyed Peas, but they've brought me personal enjoyment, as well as musical surprise. The Enjoyment comes from my first Mp3 player which I won during a contest on Much Music. This was in the really early days of Mp3 players as well.

The surprise comes from them giving us Fergie, one of the best female Rock vocalists I've heard in a long time. The song Beautiful Dangerous, let's this poor woman that's confined to the Girl Pop industry spread her wings and fly. Every time I hear this song I curse out Fergie for wasting her time singing all those stupid, commercial, moron friendly songs. She should be rocking it out like the next Ann Wilson. Which is someone I think she sounds very much like.

Myles Kennedy make his first appearance with Slash on the song Back From Cali. The song has grown on me over the years, but only because it's actually a pretty solid Rock tune. I've come to discover that I'm just not a big fan of Myles' original vocal work. However, I will keep stating for the record that Slash, Duff, Matt, and Izzy should go and hit the road with Kennedy and do a Guns N' No Roses tour.

Promise is sung by Chris Cornell of Soundgarden fame. This song follows so smoothly after Back From Cali, that it takes a moment before I realize that the song and vocalist have changed. I'm less of a fan of Cornell's voice than I am of Kennedy's, however, I have liked many of Chris' performances over the years. This is not one of them. I'm sure there are loads of people that will read this and think I've no clue what I'm talking about, but to me this is a pretty stock song. It's meant more as strong album filler, than a piece of work to be taken overly serious.

My first introduction to Wolfmother was Guitar Hero III, I think. The song Mother is pretty cool, but I still had no clue who the hell Andrew Stockdale was when I picked up this album. I didn't know who he was when I first heard this single either. Now I will never forget.

I have friends that I know can't stand his voice, and I understand why. He's like Geddy Lee of Rush in the sense that his voice tends to be high and have a whiney sound. It's an aquired taste. But, I think it makes By The Sword a fantastic song. Slash's guitar sound blends very well with his Pink Floyd styled vocals, by which I mean lot's of echo, and spacial sounding.

Adam Levine of Maroon 5 is the vocalist on the song Gotten. I don't care for the mushy lyrical content, but Adam is spectacular when it comes to singing sweet nothings in pretty songs. Slash also knows how to take a slow ballad and turn it into a great middle of the guitar neck Blues song. He doesn't over play it, and pretty much allows the song to just breathe.

Doctor Alibi is your basic run of the mill Lemmy Kilmeister Rock N' Roll bad assery. It's like listening to Motorhead with Slash playing lead. Which means it's totally about throwing up the evil eye (devil horns), and letting the head bang. I love this song.

Sadly the only instrumental track on the album is Watch This Dave. Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters and Duff McKagan come out to play on what might be my favourite song on the album. I love listening to the way Slash just weaves his guitar back and forth through the rhythm, throwing in little shreds and fills, but mainly letting it breathe. I mean this song goes from Velvet Revolver sounding, to G'N'R Illusions era, to a whole new realm that we normally don't get to enjoy. All this without it ever once sounding like Slash is trying to showboat.

The album then slows down with I Hold On, featuring Kid Rock. This is one of those songs that is clearly Rock, but with only slight production changes it could easily go Country. It's a bit upsetting that Kid Rock pretty much is only doing songs like this now, but if you liked Picture with Sheryl Crow, then you'd probably like this one.

Nothing To Say starts up sounding like something from either Ozzy or Alice Cooper, and quickly turns into an Avenged Sevenfold song. M Shadows of the aforementioned band is the vocalist on this track as well. I can't stress how much this sounds like an Avenged Sevenfold song, and not just because of the vocals. That really helps, but it's the guitar work that really does it.

That being said, the Metal world should thank Slash everyday that he opted to be a Rock God instead. Maybe the last true Rock God at that. The way he opens up on this song and just starts hammering those solos home is fantastic, and worthy of baring the term Metal.

The second song to feature Myles Kennedy is Starlight. Now go back and read everything I wrote about Back From Cali and Promise. That pretty much covers this song as well. If this had been the worst song on the Apocalyptic Love CD, that would have been a fantastic album. Instead it was a good song on this album, that caused false hope about the new album.

Saint Is A Sinner Too features Rocco DeLuca, which in the grand scheme of people on this album, would be considered a nobody. Myles is the only other person that might rank as low on the totem pole of who's who.

The song he performs on is a nice and pretty little ditty. I enjoy hearing it, but don't feel a need to go out of my way to listen. However, I won't skip it either. The album finishes with a Punk Rock legend, singing cheesy lyrics that only a man of his calliber can get away with. "Gee, I really like your tits / I'll say anything that fits / We carry our vision / Wherever we go / If you keep your mouth shut / It's still gonna show / We're all gonna die / So let's get high / We're all gonna die / So let's be nice / I'm in the mood / So let's intrude / Pee on the ground / And jump around". This is why Iggy Pop is the hero of ancient grown men/children everywhere.

We're All Gonna Die is the last track on the album, and as ridiculously juvenile as the lyrics are, this is just a great Rock song. I'd say a great Punk Rock song, but Slash's playing is too complicated to downgrade it in such a way.

All in all this album is great. There are a few songs I could have done without, but compared to a couple of the tracks I've heard that were left out, I'm okay with what was left on. I also think that Slash really should stick to doing albums with multiple artists, if he's going to stay solo. It makes him work harder and play better. It's the variety that makes this album so good.

8/10 - content

7/10 - production

8/10 - personal bias