Slash & Betty White enter the LAIR

Known philanthropist and animal lover Betty White is a huge supporter of the LA Zoo and she's been teamed up with Slash to promote their newest exhibit, LAIR (which stands for Lizards, Amphibians, Invertebrates, and Reptiles).  His affliction for snakes probably has nothing to do with it.

Axl v Slash Put To Rest??

Bros R Bros 4 Lyfe

For more than 15 years die hard GN'R fans have longed to see the core Appetite line up reunite but due to personality conflicts within the band, mainly between Slash and Axl Rose, those fans have longed in vain.  Much has been said about how the front man led his troops and much has been said against him for the way it all seemingly came unravelled in the first half of the '90s; but it appears that the olive branch may have finally been extended.  In a piece for Esquire magazine Slash said,

"The split between Axl and I was a quiet one. But because there was so much attention on the breakup — and are we going to get back together? — it got built up into this monster that led to a kind of animosity that wasn't the focus for me. Neither one of us wants to be down each other's throats for no reason. At this point, I'm trying to put it to rest."

I for one look forward to the day when the peace can finally return to this tattered and torn family.  There's so much hate out in the world that it's great to see Slash trying to bring about some love; he's right, it's gone on for so long now it's time for the feud to die.  As the GN'R boys head into the Rock N' Roll Hall Of Fame in 2012 here's hoping they can all work it out for the good of us fans; the world needs great bands like Guns because as Slash put it,

"When I see footage of Guns N' Roses, I see that fucking hunger and attitude. You could not fuck with those five guys. It was just raw. It was this lean, hungry thing on its way up. It was as sincere as any rock 'n' roll that I've ever heard, and I'm proud of that."

Re-Branded Contraband

As this new decade creeps closer and closer into our lives, we here at Metal Top Hat would like to continue our feature on 20 of our favorite albums released in these past 10 years.

Many strange and interesting events occurred in 2004. In presidential news, Ronald Regan passed away at the grand ole age of 93 and incumbent George W. Bush was re-elected to a second term in office. At the box office, Spider-Man 2 set opening weekend records while another sequel, Shrek 2 lead the way for total global grosses. In other news, a Tsunami rocked south Asia, Mars got a few visitors, and USC won the first of it's 4 Rose Bowl games of the decade.

Following two soundtrack standouts for 2003's Hulk and The Italian Job, Velvet Revolver was a surging supergroup on the rise. Comprised of a chunk of Guns N' Roses, a vein of Stone Temple Pilots, and Dave Kushner, star power was clearly not an issue and in the Summer of 2004 they released their debut full length, Contraband.

Debuting at #1 on Billboard's Top 200 list, the album would soon go on to double platinum status behind a somewhat tepid critical response. Stand out tracks include: "Slither", the lead single garnered VR a Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance; "Big Machine", a pounding track showcasing Weiland's scratchy, harsh vocals; "Superhuman", another STP flavored track enhanced by Slash's signature singing guitar; and the ever-corny ballad "Fall To Pieces" (video after the jump).