A mediocre effort – review of Slash’s “Live at the S.E.R.P.E.N.T. Festival”

Let me start by saying that I’m not a fan of cover bands, but when the band in question is called Slash‘s Blues Ball Band, curiosity gets the better of me. In addition to Slash, of course, the band consists of Teddy “ZigZag” Andreadis, who has been collaborating with Slash for a long time, on vocals and keyboards, Tash Neal on vocals and rhythm guitar, Johnny Griparic on bass and the monster that is Michael Jerome on drums.

“Live at the S.E.R.P.E.N.T. Festival” is a double album recorded at the Mission Ballroom in Colorado, containing 15 tracks that pay tribute to rock blues legends such as T-Bone Walker, Freddie King, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, Fleetwood Mac, The Temptations, Robert Johnson and others…

Personally, given the extraordinary quality of the band in question, I expected much more, but at the end of the day, they are covers, so there is nothing new to be invented… I found “Killing Floor“, “Big Legged Woman” and “Key to the Highway” to be excellently crafted, all sharing a great sound impact and, of course, Slash‘s guitar, which dominates so much that at times it is almost intrusive, as if, in addition to paying tribute to the greats mentioned above, he also wants to pay tribute to himself and his undeniable talent.

The real surprise was the vaguely funky version of “Papa Was a Rolling Stone” with a slow and captivating groove.
There is also a new single, “Metal Chestnut“, which did not win me over, while “Shake Your Money Maker” is excellent and has a great impact, undoubtedly my favourite track.

The rest of the album seemed more like a tribute to himself, steeped in his virtuosity, which is mostly useless and an end in itself. In short, to put it very clearly, that legendary figure known as Keith Richards does much less but much better and remains unrivalled in the world of rock blues. In a nutshell, an album without infamy or praise that did not convince me at all.

I am a fan of Slash and Guns N’ Roses from the very beginning, and I am really sorry to see that the promises have not been kept… At this year’s Wacken festival, the performance fell short of expectations for the 80,000 attendees. It is worth noting, however, that S.E.R.P.E.N.T.—an acronym for Solidarity, Engagement, Restore, Peace, Equality N’ Tolerance—represents an admirable thematic commitment. If Slash finds himself unable to advance his current projects, it may be time to consider whether continuing is the most prudent path forward.

Tracklist:

1. Intro
2. Parchman Farm Blues
3. Killing Floor
4. Born Under a Bad Sign
5. Oh Well
6. Big Legged Woman
7. Key to the Highway
8. Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone
9. Stormy Monday 
10. The Pusher
11. Metal Chestnut
12. Crossroads
13. Stone Free
14. It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry
15. Shake Your Money Maker