| Orgy of the Damned | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 17, 2024 (2024-05-17) | |||
| Recorded | 2023 | |||
| Studio | East West / Snakepit (Los Angeles) | |||
| Genre | Blues rock | |||
| Length | 69:39 | |||
| Label | Gibson | |||
| Producer | Mike Clink | |||
| Slash chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Orgy of the Damned | ||||
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Orgy of the Damned is the second studio solo album[a] by British-American musicianSlash, released on May 17, 2024, throughGibson. The album is a collaborativebluescover project with a variety of musicians and singers, includingGary Clark Jr.,Billy Gibbons,Chris Stapleton,Dorothy,Iggy Pop,Paul Rodgers,Demi Lovato,Brian Johnson,Chris Robinson, Tash Neal, andBeth Hart.
The album was preceded by the release of two singles; covers of theHowlin' Wolf song "Killing Floor" and theFleetwood Mac song "Oh Well" were released on March 8 and April 12, 2024, respectively.
Slash's firstblues works date back to 1996, when he parted ways with bandGuns N' Roses and experimented with the music genre in concert tours with the groupSlash's Blues Ball.[1] Three decades later, in 2023, he reunited with two of his former bandmates, Johnny Griparic on bass guitar andTeddy Andreadis on keys, as well as Michael Jermone on drums, to record the instrumentals of the album with producerMike Clink at East West Studios and Snakepit Studio in Los Angeles.[2][3]
On March 8, 2024, Slash released a cover of the song "Killing Floor" byHowlin' Wolf, which features vocals byBrian Johnson and harmonica bySteven Tyler.[4] The album,Orgy of the Damned, was announced the same day, which was available to pre-order.[5] In an interview withRolling Stone, the musician stated:"'Killing Floor' was a song that I've always wanted to do [...] Brian was the only guy I thought of for that song, just because I know Brian's voice, and I know what it sounds like when he sings in a lower register".[5]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [6] |
| Blues Rock Review | 8/10[7] |
| PopMatters | 3/10[8] |
| Riff Magazine | 7/10[9] |
| Spill | [10] |
In a positive review forBlues Rock Review, Meghan Roos dubbed the project as a whole a "fascinating listen", which is able "to explore different blues sounds and styles in accordance with how each of the chosen singers meshes with the material".[7] The reviewer highlighted "Stormy Monday", "Born Under a Bad Sign", and "Living for the City" as standouts.[7]Riff Magazine's Sam Richards wrote that although the songs on the album are "old warhorses that get minimal reworking, there's a reason they're standards".[9] He added that Slash "recognizes this, and most of his guests keep things interesting around him".[9]
Orgy of the Damned debuted at number 98 on the USBillboard 200, including atop theBlues Albums and number 26 on theTop Rock & Alternative Albums charts with 10,500 copies sold in its first week of release.[11]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Pusher" (featuringChris Robinson) | Hoyt Axton | 7:07 |
| 2. | "Crossroads" (featuringGary Clark Jr.) | Robert Johnson | 5:34 |
| 3. | "Hoochie Coochie Man" (featuringBilly Gibbons) | Willie Dixon | 6:43 |
| 4. | "Oh Well" (featuringChris Stapleton) | Peter Green | 4:33 |
| 5. | "Key to the Highway" (featuringDorothy) | Charlie Segar | 5:09 |
| 6. | "Awful Dream" (featuringIggy Pop) |
| 5:32 |
| 7. | "Born Under a Bad Sign" (featuringPaul Rodgers) | 5:00 | |
| 8. | "Papa Was a Rolling Stone" (featuringDemi Lovato) | 7:52 | |
| 9. | "Killing Floor" (featuringBrian Johnson,Steven Tyler) | Chester Burnett | 4:18 |
| 10. | "Living for the City" (featuring Tash Neal) | Stevie Wonder | 6:52 |
| 11. | "Stormy Monday" (featuringBeth Hart) | Aaron Walker | 7:58 |
| 12. | "Metal Chestnut" | Slash | 3:01 |
| Total length: | 69:39 | ||
Musicians
Technical
| Chart (2024) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[12] | 14 |
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[13] | 2 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[14] | 44 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[15] | 12 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[16] | 41 |
| Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[17] | 34 |
| French Albums (SNEP)[18] | 12 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[19] | 2 |
| Hungarian Physical Albums (MAHASZ)[20] | 21 |
| Italian Albums (FIMI)[21] | 48 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon)[22] | 25 |
| Japanese Digital Albums (Oricon)[23] | 21 |
| Japanese Hot Albums (Billboard Japan)[24] | 30 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[25] | 29 |
| Polish Albums (ZPAV)[26] | 79 |
| Portuguese Albums (AFP)[27] | 58 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[28] | 3 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[29] | 25 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[30] | 2 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[31] | 8 |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC)[32] | 2 |
| USBillboard 200[33] | 98 |
| USTop Blues Albums (Billboard)[34] | 1 |
| USTop Rock & Alternative Albums (Billboard)[35] | 26 |