AUSTRALIAN GUITAR CAUGHT UP WITH THE MODERN-DAY GREAT TO RIFF ON THE OLD-SCHOOL INFLUENCE THAT DROVE ITS PRODUCTION, ALL THE DROOL-WORTHY GEAR THAT WENT INTO IT, AND WHY – THANKS, ODDLY ENOUGH, TO THE PANDEMIC – A FIFTH ALBUM MIGHT COME WAY SOONER THAN ANY OF US EXPECT.
In modern guitar music, there’s one name that can make even the staunchest of old-school apologists admit that rock ‘n’ roll is, in fact, alive and well. That name – as you may have guessed from the giant picture of him to your right, the steadfirst or, well, the very cover of this issue – is Slash. Though he’s an undisputed king of hard-rock’s golden age, thanks in no short part to his historic tenure in Guns N’ Roses (who also have a new record out soon, the rarity-studded Hard Skool EP), Slash has remained one of the most relevant shredders on the prowl by virtue of a solo album slate packed from top to bottom with ferocious riffs and mind-bending solos.
The current era of Slash supremacy started ten years ago, with the landmark release of Apocalyptic Love. His second “official” solo album, following 2010’s eponymous overdose on cameos, the record marked his full-length collaboration with Myles Kennedy (of Alter Bridge fame) and an outfit of thrashy, mosh-weathered misfits dubbed The Conspirators. It wasn’t the most unpredictable pairing – the Slash album featured 14 guests, Kennedy of whom was the only one to pop up twice – but critics by and large assumed that 2012’s Apocalyptic Love would be a one-and-done affair for “Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators”…
Then came 2014’s … Then 2018’s … And now, in just a couple of weeks, there’ll be . The record’s ultra-blunt title is a reference to where it sits in the Conspirators’ catalogue, but it also nods to the downright astonishing rawness and bold authenticity it revels in. Slash and co. recorded it live to tape in Nashville, with key solos and some of its strongest riffs minted just hours before they hit the decks. At the core of its concept lies one Mr. Dave Cobb, the).
