RIP Velvet Revolver?

Slash: 'Velvet Revolver's Return Is Years Away'

Slash has disappointed Velvet Revolver fans by insisting the band will be absent from the music scene for at least "the next couple of years".

The band has been without a frontman since Scott Weiland was fired in 2008 and they still haven't found a singer to take over the role, with Slipknot's Corey Taylor the latest star to be linked to the job.

Slash has now spoken out about rumours the band is poised to make a comeback with Taylor, revealing the rocker did audition for the group but didn't "fit right".

He tells Vorterix.com, "We did work with Corey Taylor, and as soon as that rumour (got around), next thing you know, everybody is saying Corey's the new singer... All we were doing was just rehearsing with him and trying him out - auditioning him... It just didn't seem to fit right to me. And he's great - and I love Corey - but it didn't seem like the answer to the Velvet Revolver problem."

Slash also confirmed fans' worst fears by revealing Velvet Revolver will now take a backseat as he prepares his next solo album, while bandmates Duff MCKagan and Matt Sorum will continue working on their own side projects.

He adds, "Duff's got his own thing, I've got my thing, Matt's got his thing... Next year I definitely will make another Slash record with Myles Kennedy and go on tour. So at least for the next couple of years, nothing is going to be happening with Velvet Revolver that I can see 'cause I'll be focused on this. And after that's over, if something happens... I'm just not really concerning myself with it right now. We had all these different guys try out, all really good singers, but nobody has fit the thing, so, you know, I have to move on."