Slash

 Slash

DownloadTalk About 'Apocalyptic Love'Watch an exclusive inteSlash talks to Billboard about his new band, Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators, as well as he comments -- before Axl Rose dropped out -- on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction ceremony. "I must say, I was hoping in my hearts of hearts that we might be able to get it together and play, but wishful thinking; that's not gonna be able to happen."Billboard

Who needs multiple singers when you've got Myles Kennedy? Slash's new album, "Apocalyptic Love" (out May 22), only employs the one singer unlike the self-titled rock album the guitarist released in 2010 which features an assorted bunch: Lemmy, Fergie, Ian Astbury, Ozzy Osbourne, Adam Levine, Chris Cornell and more.

Kennedy, who also fronts Alter Bridge with three Creed members, impressed the former Guns N' Roses and current Velvet Revolver axeman when he nailed the vocals for that album's "Back From Cali" and "Starlight." He then asked him to front the touring band.

"I'd like to be able to give myself a little bit of credit for being able to recognize when somebody is really genuinely good," Slash tells Billboard. "When I first met him and he did that 'Starlight' song, I was like, 'Whoa!' From that moment on, when we worked together and just started rehearsing for that tour, I thought, 'This guy's really great.' That's the only reason I got him to do that tour in the first place because I knew that he could handle the diversity of all that material."

If Slash had said "Apocalyptic Love" included multiple vocalists, you might believe him. Kennedy's vocal range and tone, and ability to infuse different character into a song, is like many singers rolled into one: in the title track, he hits that heavy metal upper register; "One Last Thrill" gets snarkier" and "Standing In The Sun" deeper and darker.speacil effects

Slash says the music was often written during the band's crazy touring schedule at odd hours, so he would just record it and send it to Kennedy to work on at his leisure. "There was never the pressure of 'We have to get together and work on this stuff.'"


Some of the lyrics are apparently about Kennedy's long conquered drug past. "I think there was a period in his life that we've often talked about that is the basis for the majority of the lyrics on this record," Slash says. "There's some random songs that don't have anything to do with that as well, but I'd say the majority of them have really pointed lyrics about something in particular that he went through."

For the recording, Slash returned to producer Eric Valentine and brought his whole touring band -- now known as Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators: Kennedy and two Canadians, bassist Todd Kerns and drummer Brent Fitz. And again, just like the last album, it was cut live on analog gear.

"I just had an amazing experience with Eric the first time," says Slash. "He's somebody that likes all the same stuff that I do and is a genius. I didn't think twice about doing it with him. That's one of the reasons why we were fortunate to do it live because he actually built a room in the studio that I could play in with the other guys and just use monitors for playback."

The first single, "You're A Lie," which went to rock radio late February, Slash says "almost didn't even make it on the record" -- and now it's a Top 20 hit on the Rock Songs chart.