Text written by WikiBrother Leonardo Orletti
After intensely living the idea of sex, drugs and rock n' roll, being the frontman of the most dangerous band in the world, being at the peak of popularity in the 90s, creating his own band, Slash's Snakepit Guns N' Roses bandmates and the uncontrollable Scott Weiland to try and get Velvet Revolver – one thing at a time – Mr. Saul Hudson is back.
Slash never really stopped. Since the first release in his discography, the longest gap between two of his albums was five years. Guns N' Roses themselves went 15 long years between the releases of their last two albums.
In 2010, Slash took advantage of his excellent relationships in the artistic and musical world and recorded an album without a fixed band. It featured only special guest appearances, of the most varied kinds, from pop icon Fergie to the respected and dearly missed Lemmy Kilmister , a great friend of Slash. Incidentally, both are English, but almost American. They were born in the suburbs of London. Slash has lived in California for a long time, and Lemmy lived there until his death.
On this album, all tracks were composed by Slash in partnership with the performer of each one, except for one instrumental, composed and performed solely by him, Dave Grohl on drums, and Duff McKagan , former bassist of Guns N' Roses.
The first track is called “Ghost” and is performed by Ian Astbury , vocalist of the English rock band The Cult. It's very interesting to notice the influences that each singer brings from themselves or their band to the composition. It's inevitable. Ian's voice brings a gothic atmosphere to the hard rock guitars of Slash and Izzy Stradlin , the classic guitar duo of Guns N' Roses, not to mention the lyrics which couldn't be more obscure. The combination is perfect!
The second track is called “Crucify the Dead” and is performed by the prince of darkness, Ozzy Osbourne . What an honor! To make it even better, legend has it that the lyrics are intended for Axl Rose . At the time, he and Slash were still feuding. When analyzing the song, the references to the Guns N' Roses frontman are undeniable. The melodies of the first two tracks are excellent, in addition to Slash's very tasteful solos.
The third track is “Beautiful Dangerous,” performed by Fergie. It’s totally electronic, pop, R&B. I’d be more surprised if Slash hadn’t already made a guest appearance on an album by the ultimate pop icon Michael Jackson . What can I say? At least Slash surpasses himself on the guitar solo once again.
The fourth song is my favorite. It's called "Back From Cali" and is performed by Myles Kennedy , the future vocalist for Slash's solo band and the album's promotional tour. It's the first pure hard rock song. Although Myles' original band had a sound more geared towards metal, he was a perfect fit for The Conspirators .
From their second studio album onwards, they present themselves as "Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators". This album includes two songs in collaboration with Myles Kennedy. In his case, in particular, instead of the music being influenced by his background, he is influenced by Slash's music, even though hard rock and metal are not such distant musical genres.
In “Promise,” the influencer once again becomes the performer. The music and lyrics are very reminiscent of Soundgarden , although the hard rock guitar is always present. The vocalist Chris Cornell is very distinctive. Even if the song had nothing to do with grunge or metal, it would be impossible not to think of Chris's previous band.
"By the Sword" is interesting. The intro has a bit of country or something similar, but it quickly reveals itself to be hard rock rooted in blues. And the Australian singer Andrew's vocals are quite unique. It was released as a single and has a music video. One of the best!
“Gotten” is track number seven. Despite being a big name in the pop scene, Adam Levine with Slash worked very well. The sense of melody and the smoothness of the Maroon 5 vocalist's voice, along with the entire instrumental arrangement, made for a very beautiful ballad. More than fifteen musicians were involved in this recording. There are nine violinists alone.
The eighth track is the heaviest. It's performed and played by Lemmy Kilmister, the most illustrious contact in Slash's phone book. Typical Motorhead heavy metal called "Doctor Alibi". If Lemmy sings a ballad, there's no doubt it's going to be heavy. I suppose it's the track that gives Slash the most trouble. The riff and solo are amazing! In Conspirators shows, this is the only song not sung by Myles Kennedy. The bassist Todd Kerns . The lyrics are hilarious!
The next track is an instrumental performed by Slash, Duff McKagan, and Dave Grohl. Simply guitar, bass, and drums, titled "Watch This Dave." The great melody is a highlight. It sounds easy for Slash. In fact, it is! Remember that this composition is solely his.
"I Hold On" is sung and produced by Kid Rock, a country and hard rock singer not as well-known internationally as he is in the US. His strength lies in the melody of his compositions. As if Slash needed it. Kid's influences are overflowing, and the guitar solo is impeccable. Great song! For your information, this one was produced by Kid himself. The rest of the album was produced by Eric Valentine and Big Chris Flores.
“Nothing to Say” is track 11. It is performed by Matt Shadows , one of the most prominent names in the current metal scene. Another heavy track, but naturally, more inclined towards modern metal. Myles Kennedy has said in a live performance that this is one of his favorite songs. The track is marked by a clearly faster tempo. Here Slash uses the shredding technique, or rather, comes close to it.
Speaking of Myles, he's the one who takes on the vocals in "Starlight." Another top-quality hard rock song! Another fantastic track and an even more fantastic guitar solo! It confirms Myles Kennedy as one of the great revelations of rock and metal in the new generation. How that guy sings!
“Saint is a Sinner Too” is the only song that doesn't appeal. Not at all! Even though the album is very heterogeneous, this song is a complete outlier. Here, Slash's guitar is replaced by an acoustic guitar, and the performer is an American indie singer named Rocco DeLuca .
The last track is “We're All Gonna Die”, performed by punk singer Iggy Pop . The song has influences from some moments in Iggy's career; it's not one of those "hardcore punk" songs. It's more hard rock, but it's still a good song.
The Brazilian version of the album also includes two bonus tracks. The first is a lamentable version of "Paradise City," performed by Fergie and Cypress Hill . A true butchering of the Guns N' Roses classic. The second is called "Baby Can't Drive," which features Alice Cooper and Nicole Scherzinger (vocalist of the Pussycat Dolls ) on the front line. The good part is that the rhythm section is run by Steven Adler (another ex-Guns N' Roses member) and Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
This is one of the albums with one of the best possible lineups. Big names in metal, grunge, pop, etc., joined forces with one of the world's greatest guitarists to record an excellent album. I really like almost all the songs, but I can't disagree with those who say it's a "lost" album. It's practically impossible for a gathering of so many musicians from such different musical styles to result in a straightforward and homogeneous work.
But in this case, "less is more." Obviously, this mix is intentional. Slash aimed to show that he's still alive and breathing without the help of machines, overflowing with musicality. And he hit the mark perfectly! All this without losing his essence. Slash already has his own identity. Also, being long and very melodic, the album has significant commercial appeal.
*This text was written by a Wikimate and does not necessarily represent the opinions of the site's authors.
