Album of the week: Slash - Apocalyptic Love

Published on 17/06/2012 00:00

AS THE title might suggest, this new album by the erstwhile Guns N’ Roses guitarist is generic rock that does not stray far from the metal template.

The excessively hirsute son of Stoke reels off face-melting solo after solo, his note-bending prowess seemingly undiminished.

Is there a song worthy of the name buried beneath the bluster? Bluntly no, and as much as the big chap tries to embellish the mediocre with talk box effects and the rest, on the likes of Carolina there is no real tune trying to escape the technical trickery.

Crazy Life attempts to evolve Led Zeppelin but only succeeds in regressing them back to the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal and beyond. The title song is possibly the best thing here, which being the opening track means that it’s all downhill from there.

This is still superior to whatever Axl Rose is dragging around in the dust after him in the name of Guns, particularly when stripped down to the short and sharp basics. One Last Thrill nearly summons up the spirit of Bob Seger’s Get Out Of Denver, before dissolving into a pool of rock cliché.

Colin Somerville

Download this: Standing In The Sun, One Last Thrill

Slash

Apocalyptic Love

Roadrunner UK, £12.99

Rating: **