Slash - Orgy of the Damned (Album Review)
Slash – Orgy of the Damned
Released: May 17, 2024
Online
Say what you want about his hedonistic reputation in the 80s and 90s, but sober Slash has been a six stringer workhorse. Since releasing his autobiography in 2008, in which he teased a solo album with famous friends, he’s pushed out that solo album, reformed with Axl and Duff as Guns ‘N Roses, then guested with everyone from Rhianna, Ozzy Osbourne and um, Ryan Gosling. Out of that first solo album came his collaboration with Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators, who have released four albums of high octane, sometimes epic, always cool rock n roll. Now he’s returned to the Slash and Friends concept, with a focus on jamming blues covers with an array of killer vocalists.
Orgy of the Damned is a love letter to the blues and in selecting songs and pairing them with vocalists, Slash has put his own stamp on the genre’s diverse sound. He’s brought in some obvious singers, both contemporaries like Black Crowes’ Chris Robinson, and heroes such as ZZ Top’s Billy F Gibbons. I mean Gibbons was born to sing Willie Dixon’s ‘Hootchie Cooche Man’ and Slash gets to wail on those chords. Inspirational vocalists Iggy Pop, Paul Rogers and Brian Johnson also bring their unique timbre to their collaborations. Johnson’s take on ‘Killing Floor’ is accompanied by Slash twisting the song’s riff with his characteristic flourishes.
For me the thrill of hearing Slash jam with modern blues icons like Beth Hart and Gary Clarke Junior is central to my enjoyment. I mean Clarke’s rise to fame both in blues and mainstream circles is captured wonderfully via ‘Crossroads’, Robert Johnson’s legendary tale of selling his soul to the devil. The guitar duel is main event-worthy. Hart’s soulful voice is totally at home on ‘Stormy Monday’. Rocker Dorothy sinks her teeth into ‘Key to the Highway’, giving it a California dive bar vibe.
Slash brings in country superstar Chris Stapleton for ‘Oh Well’, which is part back porch jam session and part Nashville stadium anthem. It is one of the shortest songs on the album but has enough tempo changes and high-pitched solos to make for a thrilling ride.
The showstopper though is pop singer Demi Lovato. Despite their age gap, there’s a sense of kindred spirits with their battles (with the bottle being well documented) and they make a formidable duo. Lovato’s take on ‘Papa Was a Rolling Stone’ starts as a low-key fun jam but, with Lovato channeling her angst through each chorus, she demonstrates what a powerful vocalist she really is. Slash meanwhile uses his vocoder talk box to mimic keyboards and vocal lines – clearly having a ball. He gets to shred on the solos and go back to the wah wha in a scene that recalls some of his best work, such as ‘Estranged’ and ‘Anastasia’. Dare I say there is more to come from this duo?
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Photo: Emanuel Rudnicki[/caption]
He closes with instrumental song ‘Metal Chestnut’, which is a reminder that even though he can rip hard rock riffs like nobody’s business, his approach to guitar solos has always embodied blues and soul.
My earliest exposure to blues and soul music came via The Blues Brothers, so maybe this is the kind of ear opening experience for young fans who know Slash from his Gunners legacy. Orgy for the Damned offers some hot renditions of blues standards, with plenty of room for Slash and his vocalist pals to get their groove on.
Slash – Orgy of the Damned Tracklisting:
1. The Pusher (Feat. Chris Robinson)
2. Crossroads (Feat. Gary Clark JR)
3. Hoochie Coochie Man (Feat. Billy F Gibbons)
4. Oh Well (Feat. Chris Stapleton)
5. Key to the Highway (Feat. Dorothy)
6. Awful Dream (Feat. Iggy Pop)
7. Born Under a Bad Sign (Feat. Paul Rodgers)
8. Papa Was a Rolling Stone (Feat. Demi Lovato)
9. Killing Floor (Feat. Brian Johnson)
10. Living for the City (Feat. Tash Neal)
11. Stormy Monday (Feat. Beth Hart)
12. Metal Chestnut
Rating: 7.8 / 10
Orgy of the Damned is out now via Gibson Records / Sony Music. Get it here
Review by KJ Draven (Twitter X and Instagram).
