The most recent Guns N’ Roses album was 2008’s “Chinese Democracy.” Since the partial reunion of classic-era members Axl Rose, Slash and Duff McKagan, the band has released four new singles.
Those releases have sparked speculation among fans that a full studio album may be forthcoming. Slash did not rule out the possibility but described the creative process with Guns N’ Roses as challenging.
“There’s so much material at this point, it’s a matter of having the discipline to sit down and get into it,” Slash told Guitar World. “But the thing with Guns is, in my experience, you can never plan ahead. You can never sit down and go, ‘We’re going to take this time, and we’re going to do this.’ Every time we’ve done that, it falls apart.”
Band members have discussed the prospect of a new album several times in recent years. In 2023, Slash confirmed in an interview with the U.K.’s Daily Star that Guns N’ Roses were working on new material, while also focusing on his solo project Orgy of the Damned. “Guns N’ Roses are trying to make their own record and I’m working with them in that capacity, but this didn’t involve anyone else,” he said.
During their initial reunion tour, Rose told fans, “We had to get through this first, and you helped us do that. We can’t do what’s next until we finish this.” Later that month, guitarist Richard Fortus said a new album would arrive “faster than you think,” but that statement was made in 2018.
McKagan also confirmed that new material was being developed, telling Eddie Trunk in 2019, “Oh, it’s real, but the fun part and the cool part about Guns N’ Roses is we don’t really talk about it, and what happens next just happens.”
Rolling Stone requested comment from the band’s management regarding new recording sessions, but did not immediately receive a response. Any new album would be the first to feature both McKagan and Slash since 1993’s “The Spaghetti Incident?”
Recent releases include “Absurd” and “Hard Skool” in 2021, and “Perhaps” and “The General” in 2023. All four tracks were developed from ideas originating during the “Chinese Democracy” sessions, which took place from 1998 to 2007. No entirely new songs have been released during the current reunion.
Despite this, Slash expressed optimism about the group’s creative future. “It just spontaneously happens through some sort of inspiration that triggers it, and the next thing you know, it’s off and running,” he told Guitar World. “So it’s coming. I know it’s coming because everybody is thinking about it. It’ll just happen when it happens.”
Guns N’ Roses are currently performing in South America, following recent tours in Europe and the Middle East. In July, the band also appeared at Black Sabbath’s “Back to the Beginning” farewell concert, where Rose met Ozzy Osbourne for the first time.