Slash Talks New ‘World on Fire’ Album

Nearly 30 years into his recording career, Slash has managed to retain his enthusiasm for his work. With his new album 'World on Fire' set to drop on Sept. 17, he explained precisely why that's the case in a new interview.

"I love it as much as I ever have going in the studio," he told Ultimate Guitar. "Especially because I have a lot more experience these days, and I know exactly what it is I want to do."

The wide-ranging chat found Slash offering everything from a glimpse of his mindset heading into the sessions to a detailed rundown of some of the gear he used to achieve the record's sound. For fans eagerly anticipating the record's Sept. 17 release, the wide-ranging interview should prove a tantalizing appetizer for the main course.

Recalling that "the whole process really started from nothing," he talked about building 'World on Fire' out of "a bunch of ideas I'd recorded onto my phone" on his last tour, which led into rehearsals with drummer Brent Fitz and bassist Todd Kerns. "Brent and Todd are a huge pleasure to work with and really great rock and roll players. Real genuine rock guys," he enthused. "The s--- just came pouring out and it came together really quickly."

After quickly cutting the basic tracks ("For 17 songs, I think we were in there for just under two weeks"), Slash got down to the hard part: recording all the guitars. Unlike his previous release, which found him sharing guitar duties with singer Myles Kennedy, he played alone for 'World on Fire.' As he explained to Ultimate Guitar, prior to joining Guns N' Roses, he'd never intended to be part of a two-guitar lineup, and the blend he achieved with ex-GNR bandmate Izzy Stradlin would be impossible to reproduce. "To have the kind of chemistry Izzy and I had," he pointed out, "you don't know if you're ever gonna find that again."

The whole thing, Slash promised, will sound fantastic on vinyl, largely because -- like a number of veteran artists -- he recorded the whole thing to tape.

"When it comes to technology and stuff, I'm not one of those guys who is a stickler about old school and this and that and the other. I love technology and some of the ideas and some of the things. I think ProTools is f---ing amazing and what it does," he explained. "But when it comes to sounds and stuff, I find that tape -- if you can get it -- sounds better."