Review Summary: World Keeps Spinning.
Since rocketing to fame in the late '80s as one of the most iconic semiotic representatives of American rock, Slash hasn't had any trouble raking in dedicated and appreciative fans worldwide. His time in Velvet Revolver and Slash's Snakepit were worthy distractions, but his insistence on going solo in 2010 with his self-titled debut showed a man willing to accept what the fans want. Such is the dedication of his fan-base that he never tries to catch them off-guard, always at the very least feeding them by hand. Essentially, what you see is what you get with Slash, and his third solo effort
World On Fire is testament enough to the fact.
Rarely flitting from the standard Slash-approved rock radio structure, it's commendable how well he and Myles Kennedy operate within commercial radio rock boundaries; the title track, "The Dissident", "The Unholy", "Shadow Life" and "Beneath the Savage Sun" all bare remarkably similar traits even as they remain compellingly enjoyable highlights with incessant hooks and energetic performances. Needless to say, close to no difference is apparent to
Apocalyptic Love (a cleaner pop production, extended length, a few minor experiments), and anyone who loved/hated that record for its comfort and confidence will appreciate this in equal measure. It's hard to argue a compelling case for
World On Fire and that's because, in essence, a complex explanation of enjoying it doesn't exist. Slash isn't going to be making any new fans at this point in his career, and
World On Fire makes that unbelievably clear. There's very little to it, as this is Slash doing what Slash does and doing it well.
