Tags

, , , , , , , ,

World on Fire is the third solo album by former Guns ‘N Roses guitarist Slash, and his second with Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators.  Their previous album together, Apocalyptic Love was good but suffered a lot from a lack of innovation. It felt as though neither artist was pushing themselves, which was especially disappointing in Kennedy’s case as the immense talent he has proven himself to have in Alter Bridge was not showcased at all. But the single, “Nothing Left to Fear,” taken from the film of the same name, gave me a lot of hope. It sounded unlike anything the duo had done before, together or apart.

Unfortunately, World on Fire does not continue down this road. Instead we’re left with a somewhat inferior version of Apocalyptic Love. It would be unfair to call the album bad, but it would be accurate to say that there’s a significant lack of anything all that good on the album. Once again rather than take risks, Slash has decided to record an album that can be described as a poor man’s Guns N’ Roses. Say what you will about Chinese Democracy, but at least Axl Rose attempted to mature as an artist.

Speaking of immaturity, Myles Kennedy seems to be holding back a lot here lyrically. In Alter Bridge and his previous band The Mayfield Four he has been able to craft some really beautiful lyrics. But his work here is a far cry from “Blackbird” or “White Flag.” Instead everything is dumbed down and we’re left with far more straightforward lyrics, with the occasional meaningless metaphor thrown in. By far the most embarrassing moment on the album would be the out-of-nowhere “la la las” thrown onto Battleground. It’s not just that it’s lazy songwriting, it really doesn’t fit at all. Having released the fantastic Fortress less than a year ago, this is especially disappointing.

Perhaps I would be less harsh on the album if it wasn’t for its length. World on Fire has seventeen tracks and clocks in at over 77 minutes. And it all sounds the same. They decided that these seventeen songs were good enough to make it on the album and yet still were unable to produce anything interesting. It’s difficult to even pick a favourite track, some tracks are better than others, but when listening to the album as a whole they all blend together. Closing track, “The Unholy” was particularly enjoyable, although that may have simply been because I was glad to get through the slog.

World on Fire isn’t worth the time for Guns N’ Roses fans. It isn’t worth the time for Alter Bridge fans. It does absolutely nothing to grab the listener’s attention or stand out in any way. If you’re someone who’s just craving some straightforward hard rock with no twists or surprises, this album may be for you. But there are a million other acts doing the same thing better. Slash and Myles Kennedy together should be a match made in heaven for rock fans, but instead it’s just a watered down version of what we’ve heard before.