Slash – Orgy of the Damned
Slash – Orgy of the Damned
Gibson Records
Release Date: 17/05/24
Running Time: 01:09:00
Review by Simon Black
6/10
Whether you like them or not, there is no doubt that the impact made by Guns ’n’ Roses is little short of phenomenal. When I was a teenager as this band emerged in the late 80’s, they were nothing short of revolutionary. At a time when bands and their fans seemed to be divided into either the traditional denim and leather for the older folks, and the dubious Glam or Thrasher looks for the yoof, along came a band who really couldn’t give a fuck about that, and whose house sartorial style was, as the song said ‘Anything goes’ and threw all of the above into the melting pot. Then there was Slash, the enigmatic, shy but blisteringly brilliant axeman whose low-slung Gibson kicked the door down for a whole generation of fans. The same could be said of the musical influences, but at their root was all the 2’s and 4’s from Aerosmith, but whose roots go all the way back to the Blues. And that’s where this disk comes in…
Slash has never pulled short of pulling fantastic riffs and solos out of his top hat for his various projects over the decades, but with anything original no doubt being firmly routed through a “you never know” filter for a potential G’N’R album (because as far as most of us are concerned we haven’t actually had one of those since 1991’s “Use Your Illusion”), the man is a little handicapped when it comes to his side project. His current solo outfit is well-established with Miles Kennedy at the front, but the first true outing for this incarnation was the 2010’s “Slash”, which featured a raft of guest vocalists alongside Kennedy, and in my opinion is still the best one precisely because of that vocal variety. Kennedy is not involved in this project at all, and every track is fronted by a different singer, and an impressive array of them to boot. However, with the exception of the instrumental closer, every track on here is a cover of a classic Rhythm & Blues track (or Pop but given the R&B treatment).
All the players give great performances, but in many cases sound more like the timbre of the original rather than the performance style one normally associated, which is why I had to go back and check which ones were actually delivered by Iggy Pop and Brian Johnson. Then there’s the main man himself.
Slash can play, and then some, with soul, blues and heart, but having to stick to the arrangements and strictures of straight-ahead blues tracks often feels like a handicap as well. Okay, on the faster songs and the solos, you can tell it’s him, but for much of the record it feels like he’s pulling his punches. By way of comparison, take Aerosmith’s “Honkin’ ON Bob’, which tips the hat, but still absolutely sounds like Aerosmith. That said, I can listen to this happily, but it’s far from Slash’s greatest offering, even if it is helping him tread water until the album we’ve been waiting 30 plus years for emerges. And if you mention “Chinese Democracy”, we are going to fall out…
Slash – ‘Papa Was A Rolling Stone’ https://youtu.be/Y9F14ZuwC94
TRACKLISTING:
01. The Pusher (feat. Chris Robinson – vocal and harmonica)
02. Crossroads (feat. Gary Clark Jr – vocal, rhythm guitar, and solo)
03. Hoochie Coochie Man (feat. Billy F. Gibbons – vocal, rhythm guitar, and solo)
04. Oh Well (feat. Chris Stapleton – vocal)
05. Key To the Highway (feat. Dorothy – vocal)
06. Awful Dream (feat. Iggy Pop – vocal)
07. Born Under a Bad Sign (feat. Paul Rodgers – vocal)
08. Papa Was a Rolling Stone (feat. Demi Lovato – vocal)
09. Killing Floor (feat. Brian Johnson – vocal & Steven Tyler – harmonica)
10. Living For the City (feat. Tash Neal – vocal)
11. Stormy Monday (feat. Beth Hart – vocal)
12. Metal Chestnut
LINE-UP:
Slash – Guitars
Johnny Griparic – Bass
Teddy Andreadis – Keyboards
Michael Jerome – Drums
Tash Neal – Guitars, backing vocals
LINKS:
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