Slash will tackle Howlin’ Wolf, T. Bone Walker and Albert King classics on new blues album, Orgy of the Damned
Listen to the first single – a rendition of Howlin’ Wolf’s Killing Floor featuring Brian Johnson and Steven Tyler – right now.
Credit: HELLE ARENSBAK/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images
Earlier this week, we told you that Slash was teasing something on his socials – for once not X-rated. Well, that’s only partly true. The guitar legend has just announced his brand-new blues solo album, Orgy of the Damned. Did you really expect Slash to cool it with the adult themes for more than a couple of days?
Arriving May 17 via Gibson Records and available now for pre-order, Orgy of the Damned is described as a “collection of 12 dynamic songs that shakes up and revitalises blues classics with a stripped down, instinctive approach”.
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A plethora of guest artists are set to appear, including Gary Clark Jr. Billy F. Gibbons, Chris Stapleton, Dorothy, Iggy Pop, Paul Rodgers, Demi Lovato, Tash Neal, Chris Robinson and Beth Hart.
AC/DC’s Brian Johnson and Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler appear on the album’s first single, Killer Floor – an “electrifying, raucous and gleefully unbridled” take on Howlin’ Wolf’s 1964 classic.
Slash’s blues band for the album features Johnny Griparic (bass), Teddy Andreadis (keyboards), Michael Jerome (drums), and Tash Neal (vocals/guitar).
“Killing Floor is one of my favourite Howlin’ Wolf songs, but also one of the iconic blues riffs that turned me on as a young guitar player,” Slash says. “I’ve always wanted to cover it in some capacity and this record was the perfect vehicle. But playing it with this band, and with Brian Johnson singing, it was an achievement I would never have imagined back then. Let alone Steven Tyler providing the harmonica.”
“When Slash asked me to sing on Killing Floor, I said yes immediately,” adds Brian Johnson. “It was one of the first songs I learned in my very first band, and when he played me the backing track it was a no-brainer, and Steven’s harmonica is so bloody hot. I had a ball with Slash in the studio, and I think we did this great old song justice. Rock on.”
Other songs tackled on Orgy of the Damned include an “upbeat, rowdy” take on Robert Johnson’s Crossroads and a “plaintive” rendition of T. Bone Walker’s Stormy Monday, as well as versions of Steppenwolf’s The Pusher, Charlie Segar’s Key to the Highway, and Albert King’s Born Under a Bad Sign.
For more information, head to Slash’s official website. Check out the quintessentially Slash album artwork below:
