Slash Breathes New Life Into Old Blues
Slash's second album without singer Myles Kennedy and backing band The Conspirators shows a different side of Slash, the key guitarist of Guns N'Roses. The album Orgy Of The Damned is pure rock'n'roll indulgence and a tribute to the old blues masters of the 60s.
In his own subtle way, Slash revives the essence of the blues, which he wraps in beautiful rock melodies. The tribute is sentimental, believable and very entertaining. Slash's unique guitar playing is complemented by an all-star cast that seems to interpret the old hits with real delight.
The collection of songs opens with the melancholic "The Pusher" with Chris Robinson (The Black Crowes) behind the microphone. The powerful, sombre mid-tempo song is infused with emotion, a slow solo and Robinson's charismatic vocals. Another guest, Gary Clark Jr. electrifies the groovy "Crossroads" and engages in guitar duels with Slash, while sticking to the raw original by The Cream as much as possible.
Traditional blues strikes hard with Billy F Gibbons' (ZZ Top) raspy vocals on "Hoochie Coochie Man", another raspy adventure is stirred up by Brian Johnson's (AC/DC) vocals on "Killing Floor", originally by black blues magician Howlin' Wolf. What's certainly a surprise is the participation of punk legend Iggy Pop in the acoustic "Awful Dream," who infuses the classic with his casual groove. The crunchy rock riffs are complemented by Paul Rodgers (Free, Bad Company) with his predictable performance on "Born Under A Bad Sign", while Tash Neal impresses with his funk energy on "Living For The City".
What can you appreciate about the album as musicians?
Slash surprisingly keeps a low profile on the record, and creatively complements the all-star lineup with his playing. His guitar speaks the loudest on the closing instrumental "Metal Chestnut", which is the only time he's as epically rocking out in a major pentatonic as he does on his other albums or the ballads of G N'R. The studio lineup is rounded out by other bandmates like keyboardist Teddy "Zig Zag" Andreadis and bassist Johnny Griparic, who played with Slash in his Slash's Snakepit project. Another star returning to the scene is producer Mike Clink, who worked on Guns N'Roses records and did a brilliant job on Orgy Of The Damned.
Snakepit Records, 00:69:00
blues
80 %
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