Fans of Slash’s self-titled effort will be accustomed to a sense of variety, one that saw everyone from Alice Cooper and Dave Grohl to Nicole Scherzinger and Fergie chip in to create everything from the more heartfelt love song to the down and dirty rock ‘n’ roll assaults. After the unsurprisingly stellar vocal offerings of Myles Kennedy on this release, and the role as vocalist on the touring schedule that followed, it was no surprise to hear that he would be taking on sole vocal duties on the self-titled’s successor ‘Apocalyptic Love’.
Needless to say, it does not disappoint. Even on a first listen, there’s a certain swagger to it that makes you want to dance around your living room with the occasional air guitar. The likes of the already released ‘You’re A Lie’ is a prime example – it’s big, it’s got down and dirty riffs, easy to pick up lyrics, sleek solos and the chorus just begs for you to get off your ass and start moving. The likes of this will undoubtedly kill it in a live capacity.
The main pairing of this record is, of course, Slash’s guitar playing and Myles’ stellar vocals. Throughout they create a mix of exciting numbers. One – ‘Anastasia’ – lures the listener in with elegant classic guitar before a dramatic electric onslaught ensues; Myles then takes centre stage with his notable vocals, flitting from stand-out verses to more subdued vibes.
Countering the ambush of hard rock, ‘Not For Me’ slows things right down, elegant guitar backing restrained vocals through the introduction before the song opens up, with a ‘big’ feel to it. It’s applicable to most of this album – it feels big, it feels suited for soaring across the grounds of arenas.
Some would argue Slash isn’t treading a whole lot of new ground; perhaps he could try a mash of new styles – but that is just playing devil’s advocate. This is a straight up rock ‘n’ roll record and the pairing of Myles Kennedy and Slash is a very exciting one. Some moments feel reminiscent of Guns N’ Roses, some have that Velvet Revolver grind, but this record takes the best of their past work and takes it to a new level.
One listen and you’re hooked, more listens and you’ve got most of it jammed in your head. Slash’s first record was pretty great, but this one is infinitely better. The next step is to see how they go down live; I’d hasten a guess at very, very well.
'Apocalyptic Love' is released on 21st May on Slash’s own label DikHayd International and distributed through Roadrunner Records in Europe, Middle East, and Africa.
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Needless to say, it does not disappoint. Even on a first listen, there’s a certain swagger to it that makes you want to dance around your living room with the occasional air guitar. The likes of the already released ‘You’re A Lie’ is a prime example – it’s big, it’s got down and dirty riffs, easy to pick up lyrics, sleek solos and the chorus just begs for you to get off your ass and start moving. The likes of this will undoubtedly kill it in a live capacity. 
