608. Slash featuring Myles Kennedy / Apocalyptic Love. 2012. 2.5/5

I must admit that I was curious as to what this album might hold. After the demise of Velvet Revolver after two albums (one surprisingly good, the other deadbolt average) and a solo album a couple of years ago, this felt as though it was more of a collaborative effort, with vocalist and guitarist Myles Kennedy coming in to provide assistance both with his previously stated talents as well as song writing. It was probably the closest that Slash will come to a band again, so I was hoping for good things.

Initial listens have proven unsurprising, though with a dash of disappointment. The songs aren't bad, but they are overall uninspiring. There is a monotreme hard rock groove running through the entire album, without a great deal of variety or thrill. It just feels like it has all been done before, mainly because it has. Slash and Kennedy have gone for a middle-of-the-road stock standard selection of hard rocking tracks and slower soft rock ballad tracks. There is nothing particulary wrong with that, and they do it well. Kennedy's vocal range is very well represented on the tracks here, and he again proves his mettle. However, Slash is the one we wanted to be showcasing his talents, and for the most part it just doesn't show at all. Where are the trademark licks and solos? They are non-existant. Instead, we have a range of songs when the guitar is played very well, but without inspiration.

In many ways, this is like a hard rock version of the Seattle bands such as Alice in Chains, Soundgarden and Nirvana. Strip out the Seattle grunge, and throw in a hard rock guitar instead, and that's what you have here. Hey! Isn't that what they tried in Velvet Revolver? Hmmm.
There is some good enough stuff here, but songs like "Not For Me" and "Bad Rain" and "Far and Away" are just so cliched in their arrangement that it is a little embarrassing. Other songs though, like "Hard & Fast" and "Standing in the Sun", give you hope that there is better around the corner.

I'm sure all of this would stand up better in a live environment. In the long run here though, it just sounds like yesterday's news, and that is the biggest disappointment of all.