RECORD STORE DAY EXCLUSIVE:
‘LIVE AT STUDIOS 60’
DOUBLE VINYL FT. THE ENTIRE ‘4’ ALBUM LIVE, PLUS 4 BONUS SONGS, DUE OUT JUNE 18, 2022 VIA GIBSON RECORDS/BMG (HERE)
SLASH FT. MYLES KENNEDY & THE CONSPIRATORS, (SMKC) recently wrapped their nationwide “The River Is Rising” U.S. tour with sold-out shows in support of their acclaimed new album 4--available everywhere now via Gibson Records/BMG, HERE. Today, the group has unleashed the official video for their second single, “April Fool,” watch and share the link to the performance video shot live throughout SMKC’s sold out spring tour, HERE.
“I've got a lot of tapes of us jamming ‘April Fool’ at soundchecks without knowing where it would go, and although it took awhile to put together, it's a cool riff,” says SLASH. “The song really came together when we went into the studio, and it is one of the songs that Dave Cobb had a definite impact on. Certain key elements were missing in the demo, arrangement-wise, and he just went, ‘We'll connect that right there…’ And I was like, ‘Oh, yeah, that’s a good idea!’ [laughs] Sometimes you just need that other person that you can trust musically. And if they have an idea, you can’t be too precious to try it.”
MYLES KENNEDY adds of the song, “It's one of my favorites. A really fun track. Lyrically it's about being played, and ultimately you realize you've had enough, and you decide you're going to have the last laugh in the end. That's where that line ‘I guess the jokes’ on you,’ comes into play. And Dave got his hands dirty on this one. He did some tweaking and suddenly it was like, ‘This is a lot better!’ We were really, really, happy with how it turned out.”
“April Fool” is impacting radio HERE and follows the successful first single “The River Is Rising” which reached #7 on the Active Rock Charts, making it the band’s 8th, consecutive Top 10 hit single at radio. SMKC performed “The River Is Rising” which Rolling Stone hailed as “raucous” and Billboard described as “euphoric” with “a surging main riff, dissonant hooks, an infectious chorus, and a guitar solo that conjures images of a rowdy bar brawl” on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, HERE. SLASH also spoke to host Jimmy Kimmel, HERE and appeared on the popular NPR show “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me!” for an interview with host Peter Sagal, HERE.
In other news, SMKC are set to release Live At Studios 60--their first-ever double live LP--which features band’s acclaimed new album 4, and four additional songs from the group, exclusively for Record Store Day on June 18, 2022, HERE. Recorded live in Los Angeles at Studios 60, the SMKC Live At Studios 60 double LP Record Store Day release is limited to only 2250 copies. The full concert features SMKC’s vibrant new album 4 (Gibson Records/BMG)--which debuted as the #1 Most-Selling Hard Rock Album during release week and has earned the group the best critical acclaim of their career. Additional performances of the group’s Top 5 Rock Radio Hits including “You’re A Lie,” “World On Fire,” “Anastasia,” and “Driving Rain” are also included in the double vinyl package giving fans worldwide the chance to see SMKC’s electrifying live show.
A decade and four albums into their career, the new full-length album 4 marks the first new music from SMKC in four years, and SLASH’s fifth solo album overall. For the new album 4, SLASH and his bandmates MYLES KENNEDY (Vocals), BRENT FITZ (Drums), TODD KERNS (Bass & Vocals) and FRANK SIDORIS (Guitar & Vocals), partnered with producer Dave Cobb (Chris Stapleton, John Prine, Jason Isbell, Rival Sons), resulting in the band’s strongest collective statement to date. Recorded at RCA Studio A in Nashville, TN, Cobb shared the band’s desire to lay down the tracks live in the studio--including guitar solos and vocals--a first for the band, revealing a stunning, vital, sound and style all captured live.
4 is SMKC like you’ve never heard them before. A vibrant rock album fueled by memorable guitar hooks and compelling melodies, big choruses, and even bigger riffs, 4 hits on a wide range of sounds, styles, and moods in 10 songs, and does it all with laser-sharp musical focus and a lightning-in-a-bottle sense of immediacy. The album kicks off with opening track “The River is Rising,” one of the band’s toughest and most dynamic compositions to date, unraveling via a menacing, tightly-coiled riff and deep-in-the-pocket groove. From the deliberate stomp rock of “Whatever Gets You By,” the bright-toned, heart-on-sleeve pop-rocker “Fill My World,” to the talk box-drenched guitar hooks of “C’est La Vie,” exotica-tinged psychedelic fever dream of “Spirit Love,” the anthemic swell of “The Path Less Followed,” to the cowbell-inflected boogie-shake of “Actions Speak Louder Than Words,” the grimy Aerosmith-esque funk of “April Fool,” to the rampaging attack of “Call Off the Dogs,” and climaxing with the epic, six minute album closer “Fall Back to Earth,” 4 is an album that grabs hold, and never lets go.
SLASHFT. MYLES KENNEDY & THE CONSPIRATORS (L-R): TODD KERNS (bass & vocals), SLASH (guitar), MYLES KENNEDY (vocals), FRANK SIDORIS (guitar & vocals), and BRENT FITZ (drums). Photo credit, this image: Ross Halfin.
SMKC Live At Studios 60 RSD cover artwork: HERE
SMKC new album 4 cover art:HERE.
Critical acclaim across the globe continues to pour in for SLASH FT. MYLES KENNEDY & THE CONSPIRATORS, and their new album 4:
“musically stinging crunch-rock… beautifully melodic.”
--USA TODAY
“The whole album is a masterpiece. If you want to know what real rock-and-roll sounds like, crack it up nice and loud.”
--METAL INSIDER
“On 4, the fourth record by Slash Featuring Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators, he [Slash] captured the mojo he was after by recording most of the album live in a mere 10 days at Nashville’s RCA Studio A... For Slash, recording off the cuff was as liberating as he had hoped it would be, and not second-guessing himself contributed to the album’s eclecticism. There’s the heart-aching power ballad ‘Fall Back to Earth’ the glam-banging ‘Actions Speak Louder Than Words’ and the euphoric first single, ‘The River Is Rising,’ which features a surging main riff, dissonant hooks, an infectious chorus and a guitar solo that conjures images of a rowdy bar brawl.”
--BILLBOARD
“On the album, Slash delivers a collection of unflinching hard rock riffs that showcase his tenure as a world-class guitarist.”
--THE TENNESSEAN
“From the insistent churn of the opening track and first single ‘The River Is Rising,’ to the slippery funk rhythms of ‘April Fool,’ the dinosaur-sized stomp of ‘Whatever Gets You By’ to the off-to-the-races sprint of ‘Call Of The Dogs,’ 4 hits with the immediacy of a great live show. …Slash & Co color outside the lines on tracks like the slinky, Eastern-tinged ‘Spirit Love’ and the uncharacteristically major-key pop-rock workout ‘Fill My World,’ as well as the widescreen epic ballad ‘Fall Back to Earth’ which closes the record in dramatic fashion. Overall, it’s a leaner, harder and more expansive take on the SMKC sound.”
--GUITAR WORLD (COVER story)
“A superb album and a sonic benchmark for modern rock music.”
--METAL TALK
“The band’s new album is crackling hard rock-the no-nonsense, straight-up variety. ‘The River Is Rising’ proves hard rock can groove. The snaky, funky ‘Whatever Gets You By’ shimmers with thick guitar and bass riffs and a fluttering guitar solo. ‘Actions Speak Louder Than Words’ leads off with wah touches, and the sneering vocals, buzzing guitar and stabbing bass lock together in the catchy chorus melody; overall the tune is distinguished by its tough laid back swagger and a bluesy solo. Melodies and hooks permeate 4, guided by the attack of five rockers letting it rip.”
--VINTAGE GUITAR (Cover story)
“All rich, roomy tones captured live in Nashville’s RCA Studios…Everything on 4 is deeper, looser and grittier.”
--CLASSIC ROCK (8-out-of-10 review, Cover story)
“Slash's fourth album feat. Myles Kennedy And The Conspirators hits all the right beats to be a modern rock classic. …A trove of silvery melodies, insta-hummable verses `and more piledriver groves than one album should reasonably contain.”
--METAL HAMMER (8 out-of-10 review, “Best Metal Albums of 2022”)
“Album opener (and highlight) ‘The River Is Rising’ will be a live favourite, thanks to a stomping, Motörhead-style outro, steeped in Lemmy and Phil Taylor-isms. Elsewhere, ‘April Fool’ impresses thanks to a frankly filthy riff, while ballad ‘Fill My World’ is a proper show-stopper.”
--HOT PRESS (Ireland)
“while there’s undeniable links to Zeppelin in the final product, hints of country guitar stylings are also evident in some of Slash’s remarkable guitar solos. On the very Guns N’ Roses styled track, ‘April Fool,’ Slash leans into the riff as the band hit the chordal accents in time. The guitar tone has serious bite, especially in the solo, where Slash drops in some nuanced country guitar licks.”
--LOUD (AUSTRALIA)
“Slithering solos and crunchy choruses.”
--DAILY MAIL
“Through the decades, Guitar hero Slash has gone beyond his Guns N’ Roses roots to create powerful collaborations with groups like Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators, this team’s recent endeavor is a powerful album simply titled ‘4’, on the brand new record label Gibson Records.”
--GOLDMINE (Cover story)
“At this point the Slash crew is well-honed, and 4 shows off the quintet's brawny confidence along with a seamless interweaving of sources. In ‘The River Is Rising’- the opening track and first single - the quintet tears through a thunderous mingling of grunge (think Alice in Chains' ‘Man in the Box’) with Tom Morello-leaning solo, ‘Paradise City’-style tempo changes and even a wink at Deep Purple's ‘Crazy’ at the very end. Not bad for a mere 3:42, and the confluence does not sound at all forced. … ‘The Path Less Followed’ is a cranking, punching riff rocker while ‘Actions Speak Louder Than Words’ chugs into heavy boogie… The six-and-a-half-minute [Fall Back to Earth’] comes like a hard-rock James Bond theme, dramatic and careening through texture changes as well as one of Slash's trademark, biting solos - shades of the Use Your Illusion era.”
--ULTIMATE CLASSIC ROCK
“A solid album jam packed with soaring vocals, unforgettable melodies, large choruses, and riffs that will blow your mind.”
--AQUARIAN
“The ‘River Is Rising’ marks the first new music in three years from Slash and his band, and it doesn’t disappoint. There’s a metallic stomp to the track, which opens with a tremolo riff that would be at home in a black metal song. From there, quintet lock into a four-on-the-floor groove as Kennedy alternates between epic singing and cleaner melodies during the chorus. Overall, there’s plenty to satiate both hard rock and metal fans”.
--CONSEQUENCE OF SOUND
“The songs [on 4] are organic, urgent and upfront. Opener ‘The River is Rising’ is all the best of what you’d expect from the group: soaring choruses, hard-driving riffs and, of course, an explosive guitar solo. One of the most reliable vocalists in rock, Kennedy is on point here. ’Whatever Gets You By’ starts as a Doors-like blues romp that jumps into a southern rock fist-pumper. ‘C’est la vie’ builds around Slash’s wah-pedal-soaked guitar licks before the rest of the band joins on another blues-inspired rocker. ‘The Path Less Followed’ again taps into the past, sounding like it could have been recorded in the ’70s. It’s a breath of fresh air when hard rock songs emphasize melody over heaviness.”
--RIFF MAGAZINE
“4 is arguably SMKC’s most energetic and immediate offering to date.”
--METAL EDGE
SLASH FT. MYLES KENNEDY & THE CONSPIRATORS:
SLASHONLINE.COM | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE |