"World On Fire" Album Review
Alpha101 I've been a long time fan of Slash, I must admit. I've always admired his bluesy playing, memorable riffs, and even more memorable solos. While I loved his career with Guns N Roses, I've sort of drifted off the path with his bands Velvet Revolver and The Conspirators. Sure, I like the two bands, but they're just under a shadow of GNR's success. Not bad bands, but nothing special, really. Well, a few months ago, I got word that Slash put out a new album with his band. Reluctantly, I ordered it, thinking "This could either be really good, or pretty bad." Well, let's see which one it was, shall we?"World On Fire" did a hell of a job opening the album. It's fast, catchy, and has surprisingly very well-written lyrics for a hard rock band. Slash doesn't really shine in this one, but he did a decent job, and this song didn't fail to impress me.
"Shadow Life" had an atmospheric opening, a nice riff, etc., but what really surprised me was Kennedy's singing. No lie, whenever I first heard the song, I thought it was Ronnie James Dio singing. His voice really just pulled me in, and that's what really sold the song for me. Not my favorite off of the album, but i still like it a good deal.
"Automatic Overdrive" had an electric opening, and one of the catchiest hard rock choruses that has ever entered my ears. It's likable, though it's lyrics are subpar. It's still a very enjoyable song, and while it took a while to grow on me, I ended up really liking this one.
"Wicked Stone" had a brilliant beginning to it, as it really reminded me of Guns N Roses. It was gritty, nasty, heavy, and fantastic! Kennedy also did a fantastic job in this one, especially with the chorus.
"30 Years To Life" had one of the best riffs on the album, a nice chorus, but that's about it. It's a good song, but one of the weakest on the record.
"Bent to Fly" is probably my second favorite song on the entire album. It's not often where Slash does a ballad, so this song automatically took my attention. The lyrics are some of the best written on the album, and the chorus is great, and emotional.
"Stone Blind" is my least favorite song on the album. There's nothing really to like about it. It's not a terrible song, but it feels out of place on this album, in a way.
"Too Far Gone" was another great song for Kennedy, but another lackluster one for Slash. He hasn't really shined in this album much, for some reason. Sure, he had some great riffs and one or two short but nice solos, but he never really stood out to me. It feels like they just picked a random guitarist off the street to play while Kennedy sings.
"Beneath the Savage Sun" had a sludgy riff. Not sure if that is an actual word or not, but that's the best way to describe it. It makes me feel like I'm dripping with slime for some weird reason, which is a good thing. This is one of Slash's better songs on the album, but he has still yet to impress me. Wait a minute, here comes the solo... Never mind, I'm impressed! It was a nice solo, and really changed my mind about the album.
"Withered Delilah" had a great riff to start things off, but that's about it. They lyrics were nice, and Kennedy did a decent job in this one, and so did Slash and the others, but that's when the fun stops. It's an okay song.
'Battleground" was a nice change of pace for the album. It's a pretty good song, and it was a breath of fresh air, but, musically, it isn't anything special. Time to skip ahead.
"Dirty Girl" is one of the sexiest songs that I've heard in my life. It has a great riff, great lyrics, and an unbeatable chorus. Also, did I mention that it's sexy?
"Iris of the Storm" had a nice riff and chorus, and that's the only two redeeming qualities that it has, really. It's another skippable song.
"Avalon" is my least favorite on the album. It has a great solo, but that's all. It's pretty bad, compared to the other great songs on the album. I don't hate it, but I'll be fine with never listening to it again.
"The Dissident" had a humorous opening, and is one of my favorites on the entire album. It has a riff that makes me smile. I don't know why, it just makes me really happy. From fantastic lyrics, great singing, and a noble message, it's one of the best songs of the year, to me.
"Safari Inn" is a great instrumental, and did great at showing Slash's talent. I'm glad that he got to shine more on this album, because for the first half, I forgot that he was there!
"The Unholy" is my favorite song on the album, and by the band. It has an uneasy opening, some of the best written lyrics in rock history, and one of the most pounding and emotional choruses in recent years. It did a simply perfect job of closing the album, and instantly made me want to listen to the entire thing one again.
So the answer was, yes, this album is pretty good. Sure, Slash could have done a little more, and two or three songs could have been cut from the album, but it's still one of the best albums released this year. Kennedy did an excellent job in this one, which made up for the missing solos and such. It's a good album, but not quite as good as expected. I do tend to set my expectations a little too high sometimes, though. If anyone likes Slash or Myles Kennedy, then you will enjoy this album, though you probably won't "love" it. Still, it's not one of my favorite hard rock albums produced in the past ten years.
8.6/10 - Great Album