SLASH: 'By The Sword' Digital Single Due Later This Month

"By The Sword", the first single from legendary guitarist Slash's (GUNS N' ROSES, VELVET REVOLVER) first true solo album, simply entitled "Slash", will be released as a digital single on March 28. Check out the single artwork below. The track was co-written by and features a guest appearance by Andrew Stockdale of the Australian retro-rock combo WOLFMOTHER.

"By The Sword" is now available for streaming at AOL's Spinner. It can also be heard below.

"'By The Sword' is a favorite of mine off the album," Slash tells Spinner. "I really enjoyed meeting and working with Andrew Stockdale. It was a solid collaborative effort and his voice is fantastic."

"Slash" will be released in North America in April via EMI Label Services and in the U.K. on May 10 through Roadrunner Records. The album features an all-star roster of guest musicians, including Ian Astbury, Chris Cornell, Rocco DeLuca, Fergie, Dave Grohl, Myles Kennedy, Kid Rock, Lemmy Kilmister, Adam Levine of MAROON 5, Duff McKagan, M. Shadows of AVENGED SEVENFOLD, Ozzy Osbourne, Iggy Pop, and Stockdale.

"Slash" was produced by Eric Valentine (QUEENS OF STONE AGE, THE ALL-AMERICAN REJECTS) and was completed with the rhythm section of bassist Chris Chaney (JANE'S ADDICTION) and drummer Josh Freese (NINE INCH NAILS). Slash handled the majority of arranging and songwriting duties and hand-picked each guest artist. The album's guests worked collaboratively with Slash to round out the song.

"The idea was really simple in the beginning," said Slash. "These are all artists I wanted to work with — that I thought it would be amazing to do something creative and collaborative. And I was so impressed with what everyone brought to the table. They were all so committed to doing a good job. And we had a lot of fun making these songs."

In the U.K., "Slash" will see Roadrunner Records enter into a unique and innovative association with a U.K. media partner — the special-interest media group, Future. In a brand new concept in record distribution the standard album release will be preceded by a "fan pack," in which the Roadrunner Records album will be bundled together with a highly-collectable special issue of Future Publishing's Classic Rock magazine dedicated to Slash's career. The Slash "Fan Pack" featuring his debut solo album from Roadrunner Records, along with a 132-page "Classic Rock Presents: Slash" special, will have a cover price of £14.99 and will be available on magazine newsstands nationwide, in over 3,000 non-conventional music retail outlets such as WHSmith, all supermarket chains and many independent high street newsagents.

The Classic Rock Slashpack will also be the only album version to include two extra bonus tracks: "Baby Can't Drive" (featuring Alice Cooper and Nicole Scherzinger) and a cover of the classic GUNS N' ROSES track "Paradise City" (featuring Fergie and CYPRESS HILL).

The track listing is as follows (guest vocalists in parenthesis):

01. Ghost (Ian Astbury, feat. Izzy Stradlin) (3:34)
02. Crucify The Dead (Ozzy Osbourne) (4:04)
03. Beautiful Dangerous (Fergie) (4:35)
04. Promise (Chris Cornell) (4:41)
05. By The Sword (Andrew Stockdale) (4:50)
06. Gotten (Adam Levine) (5:05)
07. Doctor Alibi (Lemmy) (3:07)
08. Watch This Dave (Dave Grohl, Duff McKagan) (3:46)
09. I Hold On (Kid Rock) (4:10)
10. Nothing To Say (M. Shadows) (5:27)
11. Starlight (Myles Kennedy) (5:35)
12. Saint Is A Sinner Too (Rocco De Luca) (3:28)
13. We're All Gonna Die (Iggy Pop) (4:30)

Bonus tracks:

14. Baby Can't Drive (Alice Cooper, Nicole Scherzinger)
15. Paradise City (Fergie, Cypress Hill)

The Ron English artwork for the CD can be viewed below.