Slash Apocalyptic Love
Virgin Records, Audio CD: Rs. 395
Best known as the former lead guitarist of American hard rock band, Guns N Roses, Slash co-founded the supergroup Velvet Revolver, which re-established him as a mainstream performer in the mid to late 2000s and has since released two solo albums, Slash (2010), featuring an all-star roster of guest musicians, and Apocalyptic Love (2012), recorded with Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators.
On ‘Apocalyptic Love,’ Slash experiments with different sounds but heavily depends on lead vocalist Myles Kennedy to guarantee its success. The title track is off to a brilliant start with a funky guitar intro. Myles Kennedy’s vocals deserve a round of applause because here’s where you first realise the Slash-Kennedy pairing is phenomenal.
When you take a listen to ‘One Last Thrill’ and ‘Shots Fired’, your mind is bound to race back to classic G n R. While the former proves to be a resolute, up-tempo rocker that paces up through the chorus, ‘Shots Fired’ is a sturdy rock number with a steady drum beat and a sing-along chorus before Slash lets loose an epic guitar solo.
‘Standing in the Sun’ is a heady concoction of strong guitar riffs with a very catchy chorus. Slash lets his fingers play their magic by the end of this song. The following track, ‘We Will Roam’ unfortunately doesn’t amount to anything more than a filler between two great numbers!
‘Anastasia’ bursts forth with classic modishness delivered by Slash and his six-string before the rock band in the backdrop takes the song to new heights by mixing classical melodies and his trademark shredding on the guitar. The beautiful ballad ‘Far and Away’ is a rather cinematic offering. Slash moves out of his comfort zone to conquer softer melodic territory.
The legend’s ‘You’re a Lie’ featuring Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators opens with a mind-blowing guitar riff that leads into an insipid first verse, followed by a slightly better chorus. Overall, it has a modern rock-grunge influence.
‘No More Heroes’ is that typical mainstream track of the album. The chorus, sung by a group of many people, dampens the effect of what could have been a heroic effort.
‘Halo’ you would think sounds angelic but there’s a definite metal-based approach to this track and it works rather well for the album.
Others songs on this record include ‘Not for Me’, ‘Bad Rain’, and ‘Hard & Fast’, all of which are pleasant to listen to.
Production wise the album is very clean sounding. But what really makes this album so engaging is its sheer diversity. Proving he’s the music maestro, Slash’s songs range from hard rockers to bluesy-infused tunes and even the classic balladic style, and though there are some misses, the hits outnumber them!
