My first play-through of this album was nothing like what I've come to expect from these guys. To be honest I was disappointed. Despite the reviews and description of the album, the first play-through left me wondering what had happened to these great musicians that would make them to decide to release such an overproduction when their history has shown us that they're perfectly capable of giving us fans the raw sound they've made us accustomed to. Even the first 7 tracks highlight Slash's apparent absence from the studio, as nothing his solos offered anything that could be deemed recognizable as Slash's style which you'll hear moreso in the last few tracks and was definitively present on the previous three albums. It will grow on me, but if you're going to buy this album, don't hope for classic Slash to grace your ears.
