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- Mikkamakka
- Rep: 217
Re: SLASH: New Album Release Date Announced
SLASH: New Album Release Date Announced - Feb. 6, 2012
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbe … mID=169311
Slash — the iconic, Grammy-winning rock guitarist and songwriter — is currently in a Los Angeles studio putting the finishing touches on his second solo album. The as-yet-untitled disc is due out May 22 on Slash's own label Dik Hayd International distributed through EMI and will follow his 2010 debut album, "Slash", and his November 2011 first-ever live solo album, the two-CD/DVD set "Made In Stoke 24/7/11". Notably, the "Slash" album debuted on The Billboard 200 chart at #3 (#1 on the Rock chart, #1 on the Independent chart, and #1 on the Hard Music chart). Digitally, the album also became the #1 overall digital album and hit #1 on iTunes in 13 countries. Internationally, the disc achieved Top 5 chart positions in over a dozen major territories, hitting #1 in both Japan and New Zealand.
For the new album, Slash — along with and his bandmates Myles Kennedy (vocals), Brent Fitz (drums) and Todd Kerns (bass) — teamed with producer Eric Valentine, who also produced the "Slash" disc. All the songs were written together by Slash and Kennedy, and cameras have been rolling throughout the entire making of the album. Check out exclusive behind-the-scenes footage airing weekly beginning today.
A question-and-answer session with Slash about the new album follows below.
Q: Looking at all your Twitter updates, you sound really pumped about the new disc. This time around, you and Myles wrote all the songs and he sings lead on all the tracks. What inspired this scenario since your debut solo album featured multiple vocalists (including Myles on two songs)?
Slash: Well, having Myles sing on the first record inspired me to take him on the road, then taking him on the road inspired me to have him sing on the whole record. So yeah, the tour last year definitely inspired the decision for him to sing on the new record. He has a really broad range. He is just very musical as far as his melodic style is concerned and he's also very lyrical and just a really powerful singer. There's a lot of positives about the way he sings.
Q: Perhaps you want to talk a bit here about your other bandmates and what they each bring to the sound?
Slash: There's Brent who is probably one of the best drummers I've ever played with — he has a great way of playing very powerful rock n roll while still being able to keep it behind the beat and sexy. And then Todd has got to be one of the most overall talented musicians I've worked with, just a really great bass player. Todd's very quick in the studio, a quick learner and creative as a writer; on top of that, he's also a great singer.
Q: Beyond you and Myles writing all the songs and Myles singing all the leads, in what other ways is the new album perhaps different from your debut solo album?
Slash: Myles and I basically collaborated on the new material. The main thing is we wrote these songs together which is a big difference from the last album where I wrote each song with all of the different collaborators. The whole creative nucleus is between Myles and me. On top of this, the whole rhythm section of Brent and Todd brings something to the table and changes the dynamic completely from the last record — it's much more cohesive.
Q: With your record company Dik Hayd Records, you remain an independent artist and work with major companies for distribution. Can you talk about how you as an artist benefit by this scenario in these interesting times for the music industry?
Slash: It puts me more in the driver's seat of how I want to market the record, but even more importantly than that, I'm not giving half of everything that comes in on the album to the record company.
Q: Eric Valentine returns as producer for the new disc. What do you feel he brings as a producer to these songs and the overall approach?
Slash: The first thing we always talk about with Eric is he's an extremely gifted musician, but he is basically as talented an engineer, so it makes for a great combination as a producer. As a person he's easy to work with — he's very patient and he lives and breathes what he does. That's a lot like how I am, we're similar; I can call him at any moment and ask him a question or share an idea I have with him. He's always in his element and it's something that I can appreciate.
Q: You toured the world seven times with the last album. What are your tour plans for the new album?
Slash: Right now we're starting off with radio shows in the states and then we'll do as much of Europe as possible. We'll also tour in Asia and Australia, and try to hit South Africa this year as well as India and a couple other spots. Trying to just broaden our horizons a bit.
- monkeychow
- Rep: 661
Re: SLASH: New Album Release Date Announced
Sort of astounded that anyone would consider the last album a turd.
By the Sword was amazing
Ghost was a solid rocker
Nothing to Say has some great soloing
Watch This! is like classic slash riffing...
I think it's one of his best albums in years.
Re: SLASH: New Album Release Date Announced
Sort of astounded that anyone would consider the last album a turd.
By the Sword was amazing
Ghost was a solid rocker
Nothing to Say has some great soloing
Watch This! is like classic slash riffing...I think it's one of his best albums in years.
Agreed and even the track with Fergie was pretty damn cool I thought. I like Slash's solo album better than CD and both VR albums to be totally honest.
- tejastech08
- Rep: 194
Re: SLASH: New Album Release Date Announced
*prays to the music gods that its better than the last turd*
You should post more James. I might not always agree with you (such as in this instance), but your posts are always entertaining! 
- Mikkamakka
- Rep: 217
Re: SLASH: New Album Release Date Announced
monkeychow wrote:Sort of astounded that anyone would consider the last album a turd.
By the Sword was amazing
Ghost was a solid rocker
Nothing to Say has some great soloing
Watch This! is like classic slash riffing...I think it's one of his best albums in years.
Agreed and even the track with Fergie was pretty damn cool I thought. I like Slash's solo album better than CD and both VR albums to be totally honest.
Same here. It has its faults, a lot of songs would have needed more work, or a different singer, but it's full of life, which the other albums, mostly CD lack.
I'd add Saint Is A Sinner, Promise, Back From Cali, Startlight, Gotten and the non-album track Mother Maria to the 'good song list'. Only Crucify the Dead, Dr Alibi and We're All Gonna Die are close to the 'turd' category James mentioned.
- Intercourse
- Rep: 212
Re: SLASH: New Album Release Date Announced
I think this will be better.
Slash has found his confidence again and while I'm not overjoyed with Myles' voice, the man can sing like a mofo and can write a hook.
Nice that Slash is controlling the purse strings...means he can keep releasing material and make enough cheese to keep moving forward.
Still praying to the Gods of Rock that Slash and Chris Cornell do at least an EP together someday...
Re: SLASH: New Album Release Date Announced
*prays to the music gods that its better than the last turd*
Haha, I can see that opinion hasn't changed.
Although Slash fans vastly overrate Slash 2010, there are some solid songs on it that showcase Slash returning to a more hard rock base, arguably the best solo output (I know, still not much to show) he's done since being in GN'R.
Ghost is still probably the best track, obviously Izzy being there, and Ian Astbury's voice just blends seemlessly with Slash's guitar. Ghost could've been on Illusion I or Ceremony, it has an almost perfect blend of Guns/Cult.
Believe it or not for as much as I think Myles sucks, somehow his tracks turned out to be the better ones on the album.
Beautiful Dangerous, despite featuring Fergie, is catchy as hell. It just is. VERY catchy. It's good.
Watch This is fantastic. I have wet dreams thinking about Axl writing lyrics for it. Could've been another vintage GN'R, Zeppelin-themed epic.
Nothing To Say is a great rocker if you dig modern-radio rock. Slash's guitar technical prowess might be the best he's ever done.
Other than those 4-5 tracks... you're right. The rest is a completely and utter turd.
By The Sword is so immensely overrated it's almost embarassing. Whatever song Slash fans think exist is bizarre. Slash's guitar work is entertaining, but Andrew Stockdale is fucking terrible with a capital T. Whatever Bob Dylan meets Myles Kennedy impression he's doing is fucking ear rape.
The Ozzy, Lemmy, Coop & Chris Cornell songs all try to be something special, but just fail. Don't really grab you and you just don't remember them. Their Slash songs are all just B-sides, which is shocking because when Slash has recorded with the others on THEIR songs, they usually rock. The most recent, "Vengeance Is Mine" from Alice Cooper featuring Slash fucking destroys Baby Can't Drive, just for example.
Anyways, just a little bit of more insight, as well as some brutal honesty. Ghost & Watch This = great, Back From Cali, Starlight, Beautiful Dangerous, Nothing To Say = good, the rest = average to sucktacular.
- Mikkamakka
- Rep: 217
Re: SLASH: New Album Release Date Announced
It'd be shocking to see that an Axl fan thinks that Saint Is A Sinner or Gotten sucks, but we're used to double-standards.
If these songs are average at best, then what can be said about Catcher, ITW, SoD or Madagascar? Let me guess... awesome, the best thing since slice bread, heartbreaking, groundbreaking... help me out with the praise. If Gotten sucks, then CD's ballads suck donkey balls. Only TWAT and TIL are on the same level with these Slash songs (a bit above, to be fair, if you take away Robin Finck's horror).
