For the record, this article is not meant as a diss track for Slash. He has proven himself to be one of the better and most iconic guitarists of the last 40 years. There is no Guns 'N Roses without Slash's licks and he could just show a picture of his ever-present hat and we would know to whom it belongs. But he seemingly does not know what "new" music is.
To be fair, Slash does not need to be forced to listen to truly new music unless he wants to be inspired by something new. He could keep listening to the same music that stirred him when he was a child and he could keep playing music based on his formative years.
But musical artists do need to grow to keep entertaining the music-loving public with new material. Otherwise, they just keep rehashing the same boring material. We have come to have faith that Slash is better than someone such as Kid Rock.
Slash seemingly not inspired by "new" music
In a recent interview with Coffee with Ola!, though, Slash seems to not understand the term "new." The guitarist was asked what he was currently listening to and Slash said, "AC/DC had a new record that was really good." He went on to name the latest albums by Queens of the Stone Age and Metallica.
Clearly, Slash has good taste in bands, but he might also be seen as an old man by younger music fans. The issue is that AC/DC's "new" record, Power Up, came out four years ago. Slash named Megadeth's latest record as one he had on repeat and that album, The Sick, The Dying...and the Dead!, came out two years ago.
Neither AC/DC nor Megadeth are likely to reinvent the wheel at this point and probably will keep making the same sounds they always have.
This leads to the potential issue with Slash's new album that is set to be released on May 17. The record is called Orgy of the Damned and will have guest spots by lots of good musicians but few with new ideas. In other words, there is a decent chance that Slash's new album is well-played and extremely boring.
Even his latest single, "Killing Floor," is a cover of a Howlin' Wolf song that was released in 1964. The track features AC/DC's Brian Johnson and Aerosmith's Steven Tyler playing harmonica. At least they aren't scream-singing a duet. Maybe that they are performing on dueling harmonicas is a sign of hope for the new album, but one doubts it.