Apocalyptic Love - official reviews

[Original GNR]

Now that the album has been leaked and the official release is not far away, professional reviews will be popping up on the net. If you come across any, chuck em in here!

First one i've seen:

http://www.artistdirect.com/entertainment-news/article/slash-apocalyptic-love-review-5-out-of-5-stars/10071876

Slash "Apocalyptic Love" Review — 5 out of 5 stars

Mon, 14 May 2012 15:41:38

Apocalyptic Love embodies every side of Slash.

Like some kind of rock 'n' roll kaleidoscope, the album evinces the legendary guitarist at his best from all angles. There are soft and subdued moments. There's danger. There's mayhem. There's blues. There's shred. There's everything you could want from a rock record and more. That said—it's both an essential guitar album and a new classic for "R&Fn'R" at large. Apocalyptic Love is some of the man's most incendiary and infectious playing yet, and you're going to be knocked out by it.

A drum count-off leads right into a swaggering wah pedal lead at the beginning of the title track. Quickly, a stadium-size chorus from Myles Kennedy [Alter Bridge] rises in tandem with Slash's riffing and shredding. Theirs is an immortal partnership that instantly transfixes and transcends. Drummer Brent Fitz powers through a juggernaut of a beat, while Todd Kerns's bass roars like a freight train. During the bridge, Kennedy sounds inimitably soulful just before another fiery lead from Slash blazes up the night sky. That action all takes place in just the opening track mind you…

A guttural guitar sparks "One Last Thrill" before Kennedy rages through a rapid-fire verse reminiscent of Motörhead's best beatdowns. It's a speed demon firecracker of a song that's bound to get festivals shaking their asses along. Meanwhile, "Standing in the Sun" is a towering rocker that's heavy on groove and Alice in Chains-esque harmonies from Kennedy. Let's not forget the face-melting solo. At the same time, "No More Heroes" gives everyone space to shine. "We Will Roam" shimmies from a bluesy intro into a metallic charge at the right moment. It feels like it should've been ripped right from Easy Rider. You might want to hit the highway the second you hear it.

One standout, "Anastasia", starts with elegant classical guitar, slowly opening the curtain for the drama to come. Quickly, orchestral tapping culminates on another vivid journey driven by the guitars, drums, bass, and Kennedy's impeccable wail. Equally cinematic is "Far and Away". It's one of Slash's most beautiful compositions ever. Kennedy sounds utterly divine, painting a picture of longing and love lost. "Shots Fired" simply destroys while the bonus track "Crazy Life" is the ultimate rock anthem.

People claim rock is dead. However, every note of Apocalyptic Love stands as proof that it's alive and kicking. It belongs up there with the best of Guns N' Roses and Velvet Revolver. Guys like Slash and Myles Kennedy carry a torch from Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Randy Rhoads, and all the other greats. It's burning as brightly as ever too.

—Rick Florino

05.14.12

Our Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

[ZoSoRose]

[Chewbacca]

Alice In Chains harmonies? Nope, sorry there's nothing like that there, especially from Smyles.

[Rovim]

Belongs up there with the best of Guns? hmmm....

Don't know about that.

[Chewbacca]

Belongs up there with the best of Guns? hmmm....

Don't know about that.

IMO, no it doesn't. It's a decent album, but I wouldn't give more than 3 stars. His previous album was a solid record, this one is a bit too generic.

[moreblack]

His previous album was a solid record, this one is a bit too generic.

this one works better together, and it's more agressive, which results in better music.

[The Matinator]

hmmmmmmm, well hater can hate, i'm gunna enjoy a great new album from one of the original gunners, something that doesn't happen enough.

Edited May 15, 2012 by The Matinator

[Rovim]

His previous album was a solid record, this one is a bit too generic.

this one works better together, and it's more agressive, which results in better music.

It works better together, I agree, but if you compare song for song...

Ghost, Dr. Alibi, By The Sword, Nothing To Say, Back From Cali,Starlight and maybe Promise are all stronger in a lot of ways imo.

The previous album didn't work well at all as an album, but a lot of songs and cool moments in some songs are superior imo compared to this.

Also, I prefer the agressive stuff from Slash too, but I don't think it always results in better music.

Edited May 15, 2012 by Rovim

[dario27]

good review, i can't think of anybody else but Myles singing those songs, really, they fit him perfectly.

i get what people are saying though,. there are some "rare" moments, like the Halo chorus, there's something rare in it, but isn't that part of the "plan"?, why sound generic?, i'm not attemping to compare at all, but when we first heard Welcome To The Jungle, it wasn't the "perfect" song, the Shkn kn kn kn kn kneeees kneees part was so uncofortable at first..... but then the whole song was so much better that everything sounded perfect and the whole thing grew massively

for me this is one of the best work Slash has done after GNR, better than Libertad, better than Slash (2010) and much stronger than Ain't Life Grand and imho with more potential than 5 O' Clock, the whole album structure is awesome, better than Contraband? doubt it, but still we need to wait what the "masses" think about it..

i know i will be blowing it up with a couple of cold ones for a good while

[sleeper]

Thanks for the post a great review for a great album.

[Chewbacca]

His previous album was a solid record, this one is a bit too generic.

this one works better together, and it's more agressive, which results in better music.

It works better together, I agree, but if you compare song for song...

Ghost, Dr. Alibi, By The Sword, Nothing To Say, Back From Cali,Starlight and maybe Promise are all stronger in a lot of ways imo.

The previous album didn't work well at all as an album, but a lot of songs and cool moments in some songs are superior imo compared to this.

Also, I prefer the agressive stuff from Slash too, but I don't think it always results in better music.

And there's also the Smyles problem. He lacks aggressivity.

[uctalum01]

His previous album was a solid record, this one is a bit too generic.

this one works better together, and it's more agressive, which results in better music.

It works better together, I agree, but if you compare song for song...

Ghost, Dr. Alibi, By The Sword, Nothing To Say, Back From Cali,Starlight and maybe Promise are all stronger in a lot of ways imo.

The previous album didn't work well at all as an album, but a lot of songs and cool moments in some songs are superior imo compared to this.

Also, I prefer the agressive stuff from Slash too, but I don't think it always results in better music.

And there's also the Smyles problem. He lacks aggressivity.

so? I fail to see the problem. I'd take "Smyles" (yeah I know you meant it as an insult, but it's already used as a "term of endearment" among some of his fans) as he is over any more "aggressive" singer any day, any time, anywhere. aggressive =/= good...

[Highway Zero]

Man, that review might be the biggest ass-kissing I've ever read.

I'm not a Myles fan, but I listened to the album. There were a couple ok moments, but it didn't really do much for me. At sounds more like Alter Bridge than GNR. This is not a good thing IMO. Myles also co-wrote the music, maybe that is one of the reasons it feels (to me) more like a Myles album than a Slash album.

Yes, Myles can hit the high notes, but I don't really find anything special in his voice or lyrics. It just sounds like generic arena rock to me. If that is what Slash was going for he succeeded. I know Myles is a savior to some since he sang at the RNRHOF, but his voice really doesn't do much for me.

I really haven't been a big fan of any vocalists Slash has worked outside of Axl and Scott. "Difficult" singers seem to bring out the best in him. I liked the Chris Cornell & Ian Astbury tracks from his solo album, but they already have their own gigs & who knows if they would work over a full album.

I'm glad there are fans of the album, but I'm just not into Slash's recent choices in collaborators. I think he writes better music with the likes of Duff, Izzy & Dave. I still have my fingers crossed for a followup to Libertad with today's news, but it seems unlikely. Slash loves working with Myles.

[Highway Zero]

for me this is one of the best work Slash has done after GNR, better than Libertad, better than Slash (2010) and much stronger than Ain't Life Grand and imho with more potential than 5 O' Clock, the whole album structure is awesome, better than Contraband? doubt it, but still we need to wait what the "masses" think about it..

So it will be better than Contraband if it tops it in sales?

It won't top Contraband in sales. It's 8 years later and the music industry is much different. I would be surprised if it matches the sales for Slash. That album had some major star power on it. I'm guessing AL will debut in the Top 10 in the US, but most likely drop off pretty quickly. If it outsells Libertad I'll be impressed.

[dario27]

for me this is one of the best work Slash has done after GNR, better than Libertad, better than Slash (2010) and much stronger than Ain't Life Grand and imho with more potential than 5 O' Clock, the whole album structure is awesome, better than Contraband? doubt it, but still we need to wait what the "masses" think about it..

So it will be better than Contraband if it tops it in sales?

It won't top Contraband in sales. It's 8 years later and the music industry is much different. I would be surprised if it matches the sales for Slash. That album had some major star power on it. I'm guessing AL will debut in the Top 10 in the US, but most likely drop off pretty quickly. If it outsells Libertad I'll be impressed.

no, Sales don't say much, we need to wait the raction of people to it, right now some like it, but we're "alone" so far.

Contraband had rock classic songs like Slither, Fall To Pieces, not because of sales but because the reaction of "people" to it, they push it on the radio, they loved them live and so and so... we need to wait if people react the same way to some of the songs, the potential is there but there are more reasons than record sales that make some albums to stand out form the rest.

ie: i can say today that Not For Me is going to be a classic for me and will always play it for the rest of my life like WTTJ, SLITHER..etc, but people outside this forum, people in the real world would need to agree, the new generation of rock fans would need to agree as well, it's not easy, but the potential is there, no doubt.

Edited May 15, 2012 by dario27

[Guest gunns5]

Is it worth a download?

[Naupis]

Is it worth a download?

Depends. If you don't feel li8ke having your ears burned off by Anastasia, you might want to pass on it.

[LA_0013]

Slash

Apocalyptic Love

When comparing Slash’s self-titled debut solo album to Apocalyptic Love, it would easily be considered Slash’s pop record of sorts. Apocalyptic Love leaves the pop behind and propels head first into leather clad rock’n’roll. Myles Kennedy (Alter Bridge), a featured vocalist on Slash, was drafted to handle frontman duties for his live gigs, Kennedy impressed ‘the man in the top hat’ enough to be the only vocalist on this album, and it works.

Slash chooses to leave the session musicians behind and instead utilises his live band on this album, the end result being a straightforward rock album that features trademark tasty guitar hooks and soaring vocal melodies. Opening with the album’s title track, which launches straight into a detailed guitar riff (sounding more like a solo), the track briskly winds its way to a melodic bridge before launching into our first guitar solo of the album. Part of Slash’s success lies in his ability to appeal to guitar nerds through blistering solos and guitar technique. However, he understands what the guitarist’s role is in a band, which is to compliment the singer and the melody of the song, and it is that which appeals to the non guitar nerd; the songs are just darn good rocking tunes.

Highlights include the riff heavy Halo, the anthemic No More Heroes, the vocally-rich We Will Roam and the epic Not For Me. Whilst Apocalyptic Love doesn’t have the entourage of famous singers, this album proves they aren’t needed, Slash’s intricate guitar riffs combine mercilessly with Kennedy’s melodic vocal style and, simply put, the end result is a brilliant rock’n’roll record.

http://themusic.com.au/reviews/album/2012/05/14/slash-apocalyptic-love/

LA

[Original GNR]

Slash

Apocalyptic Love

When comparing Slash’s self-titled debut solo album to Apocalyptic Love, it would easily be considered Slash’s pop record of sorts. Apocalyptic Love leaves the pop behind and propels head first into leather clad rock’n’roll. Myles Kennedy (Alter Bridge), a featured vocalist on Slash, was drafted to handle frontman duties for his live gigs, Kennedy impressed ‘the man in the top hat’ enough to be the only vocalist on this album, and it works.

Slash chooses to leave the session musicians behind and instead utilises his live band on this album, the end result being a straightforward rock album that features trademark tasty guitar hooks and soaring vocal melodies. Opening with the album’s title track, which launches straight into a detailed guitar riff (sounding more like a solo), the track briskly winds its way to a melodic bridge before launching into our first guitar solo of the album. Part of Slash’s success lies in his ability to appeal to guitar nerds through blistering solos and guitar technique. However, he understands what the guitarist’s role is in a band, which is to compliment the singer and the melody of the song, and it is that which appeals to the non guitar nerd; the songs are just darn good rocking tunes.

Highlights include the riff heavy Halo, the anthemic No More Heroes, the vocally-rich We Will Roam and the epic Not For Me. Whilst Apocalyptic Love doesn’t have the entourage of famous singers, this album proves they aren’t needed, Slash’s intricate guitar riffs combine mercilessly with Kennedy’s melodic vocal style and, simply put, the end result is a brilliant rock’n’roll record.

http://themusic.com.au/reviews/album/2012/05/14/slash-apocalyptic-love/

LA

[moreblack]

Is it worth a download?

if you do one, you can decide the other

[The_Universal_Sigh]

http://www.revolvermag.com/reviews/review-slash-featuring-myles-kennedy-and-the-conspirators-apocalyptic-love.html

Review: Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators – Apocalyptic Love

In contrast to his 2010 self-titled disc, a diverse affair with a multitude of guest vocalists that sometimes seemed strained under the weight of its creator’s own grand ambition, here Slash and his band, fronted by Alter Bridge’s Myles Kennedy, let the riffs and hooks fly freely. Though there are enough left turns to keep listeners on their toes (the flamenco intro and classical motifs of “Anastasia,” the positively Slayer-esque harmony guitar lines in “Halo”), Apocalyptic Love is at heart a collection of lean, high-octane rock-and-roll tunes built to be blasted out of open-top sports cars or, more suitably, open-air stadiums. RICHARD BIENSTOCK

[Original GNR]

http://www.triplem.com.au/sydney/music/news/blog/listen-here-slash-apocalyptic-love--exclusive-album-stream/20120517-gbxh.html

Slash’s new album, Apocalyptic Love hits the shelves tomorrow, but you can a taste of what it sounds like by clicking on the player below.

And Triple M's Dave Gleeson has listened to the whole album and he says it's a cracker.

"Slash and Myles have hit it right off and I don't want to leave the rhythm section out - the album is as fat as," he said.

"One of the things I love about the record is that the harmonies are there [and] the guitars play off each other. It's one of the best rock records I've heard in a long, long time."

The album definitely has a late 80s, early 90s rock feel. And there's an unforced chemistry on this record, which we all got a taste of on Slash's last solo album where Myles debuted on songs like "Back to Cali".

The rhythm section of Brent and Todd are phenomenal. When you listen to the album the rhythms and attention to detail that the guys put into it are awesome. Todd is a great lead singer as well and the vocal chemistry that he and Myles have makes the harmonies are highlight.

Standout tracks include the attitude-to-burn single "You're A Lie", stomping rockers like "Halo" and "No More Heroes", and "Anastasia" which has a bit of the Gunners "Rocket Queen" about it.

Overall, if you like your rock big, mean and hard then this album is for you.

[mrandyk]

I like Myles when he is covering other songs, but I still don't very much enjoy any of his studio work.

[Original GNR]

http://www.classicrockrevisited.com/reviewslashapcalyhptic.htm

Slash Featuring Myles Kennedy & the Conspirators – Apocalyptic Love

EMI

Rating: B

Slash is back with a new solo album featuring Myles Kennedy on vocals. While he will always be unfairly expected to live up to GNR’s Appetite for Destruction, Slash has put those expectations behind him and focuses on simply cranking out some loud rock and roll from his trusty Gibson Les Paul.

This album is exactly what you would expect from Slash and Myles. It is very modern in its approach, exquisitely produced, well written and features tons of killer guitar solos. It is more song oriented than many of his previous efforts, probably due to Kennedy’s influence. The result is an album that keeps you coming back to it and keeps you cranking it up.

“Halo” may be the best song on the entire disc but other tunes including the title track, “No More Heroes” and “Anastasia” all have an infectious grooves. The album ends with one of the strongest guitar tracks on the album in “Crazy Life.” Slash fans will dig this one from start to finish.

One must admit that Slash has adopted a bit of a Buckcherry vibe on many tunes, mixing hard rocking riffs with rhythmic lyrics, once again, creating songs that are as much groove oriented as they are in your face rockers.

Slash has done himself proud with this one. Will it go down in history? Maybe and maybe not – it’s hard to tell these day as the music industry is in such turmoil. One can say that this is a good, and at times, damn good hard rock record. And for this writer, that’s good enough.

By Jeb Wright

[Original GNR]

http://www.jukeboxmetal.com/2012/slash-apocalyptic-love/

Slash – Apocalyptic Love

Dik Hayd International

Produced by Eric Valentine

Rating: 3.5/5

After taking the route many rock guitar legends take with their first solo album and using different vocalists on each track, for this follow-up Slash has opted for a consistent band approach, taking his touring band (The Conspirators) featuring Alter Bridge vocalist Myles Kennedy into the studio.

The first thing to note about Apocalyptic Love is that it is not the “very heavy” album Slash described when the first songs were completed towards the end of 2011. Quite the contrary, it is a much more mellow album overall than Slash. All the songs are still built around Slash’s distinctive rock guitar sound, but most of them can’t really be described as hard rock. Right out of the gate the title track is a melodic sing-along with a borrowed AC/DC riff, and No More Heroes, and We Will Roam all follow exactly the same pattern later on.

Before those though two songs immediately follow the title track which both feel like they’re trying to tap into different aspects of Slash’s past work. One Last Thrill calls upon Kennedy to sing at full speed on something which sounds like it was intended for Velvet Revolver (think Sucker Train Blues), and while Axl Rose can do that very well, and for the VR stuff so could Scott Weiland, the style doesn’t suit Kennedy, who ends up losing the dynamics of his voice and sounding flat. It’s not really his fault, no one expects Lemmy to sing opera, but it doesn’t work for him. Standing In The Sun on the other hand is fine for Myles to work with, but it carries with it an inescapable resembalence to the musical motifs of Paradise City. The song fortunately isn’t the same, with slower paced verses which fit Kennedy’s voice well and a big chorus, but still it’s not one to really get the blood pumping.

And so it’s down to radio single You’re A Lie, which would have been a much better opener than the title track, to deliver the album’s first harder riff and genuinly catchy song. Even on some of the harder riffs, like Anastasia and You’re A Lie, the emphasis is on catchy choruses rather than hard rock energy, but they do tend to have the more interesting riffs and melodies as well, so they’re by far the better songs. Afer the drab No More Heroes comes Kennedy’s finest vocal performance with Slash to date. A rare appearance by Slash’s trademark rock ‘n’ roll swagger on the first half of the album dominates the main riff, Kennedy’s voice genuinly soars in the verses, while the chorus has a real groove to it. Together with You’re A Lie it’s a brief high point in a forgettable first half.

Besides those two the wait is on until track eight for the lengthy Anastasia‘s big riff, and track nine for album stand-out Not For Me (a slower song in a kind of harder power ballad sense, with emotive solos abound) for the next sniff of classic Slash, thankfully kicking off the massively superior second half of the album. A rumbling Todd Kerns bass line then ushers in the fantastic Bad Rain which builds slowly to a grooving riff and chorus, Hard & Fast does exactly what the title suggests it should, with a bright riff which could come from a Slash’s Snakepit album, eventually giving way to excellent bluesy ballad Far And Away. Regular album closer Shots Fired then has a tough act to follow after a run of five great tracks, but is another cool little rocker which should probably have switched places with Far And Away.

As before there are lots of editions of Apocalyptic Love. The standard version looks to be the same everywhere, featuring 13 tracks. In North America there will also be a deluxe edition with two bonus tracks and a “making of” DVD. There will again be a “Classic Rock Presents” edition in the UK with an exlusive Slash edition of the magazine, various other gift items, and the same two bonus tracks as the American deluxe edition. This will be released in the same week as all other versions worldwide, with the UK getting the standard 13-track edition four weeks later. For once it’s absolutely essential to get the version with the bonus tracks because, as good as the last six tracks are, the bonus tracks are also amongst the album’s best songs by a surprising (disappointing?) margin.

Caroline and Crazy Life are both heavy groovers, much closer to the best work on the first album. Carolina is built around a talkbox riff and disco beat recalling things like Stayin’ Alive, while Crazy Life could be early ’90s Aerosmith. By adding these, making up an excellent eight-track run at the end of the album, the disc will feel like a great album, the unremarkable first half being all by forgotten apart from You’re A Lie and Kennedy’s astonishing performance on Halo. Slash’s new-found younger fanbase will love this. Older ones might still find they wish for the return of the drastically underrated Snakepit, but will still find plenty to enjoy in the second half, especially with those bonus tracks.