Guns N’ Roses haven’t released a new album since the Chinese Democracy in 2008, and that long-awaited album has now dropped after a 15 year wait.
Following the years since the band’s breakup in the early 1990s, Axl Rose has been notoriously slow with creating fresh material. Now the band is reunited with its key original members, fans have been hoping for an original record with some modern material. That wait may soon be over, as the band recently showcased a previously unknown song at one of their concerts.
Perhaps Could be Part of a New Album
At the recent Guns N’ Roses concert in Pittsburgh, the band played new single Perhaps for the first time ever. It seems that Rose is particularly proud of the track, as he referred to it as an “immaculate conception.”
Early ideas for the song came about in the Chinese Democracy sessions, but the final version that’s now available online was fully formed recently. Slash and Duff McKagan brought their input to the record, and these two members weren’t around when the concept for the song was originally conceived.
Fans are now speculating that this fresh track could be leading up to a new album from the Los Angeles rock legends. The band already announced that there’s another single on the way this year, entitled The General. However, there has been no confirmation that an album is in the works. With Guns N’ Roses having barely stopped touring since their revival in 2016, they may not have had time to sit down and work hard on fresh material. It could be that they will keep sporadically releasing new singles until they have enough to fill an album.
Guns N’ Roses Don’t Need New Material to Stay Relevant
The fact of the matter is that Guns N’ Roses don’t need to release new material to stay relevant and attract fans. They forged their legacy in the late 1980s and early 1990s with some of the best rock music ever. Indeed, 1987’s Appetite for Destruction is still regarded as one of the best records of all time. Returning fans who want to see Guns N’ Roses live are more interested in watching them play the crowd pleasers than the new offerings.
Guns N’ Roses have also cleverly managed to attract a new generation of fans through levering the power of the online world. They have 6.9 million followers on Instagram and use the platform to promote new shows. There’s plenty of merchandise available too, with official clothing lines adorned with Guns N’ Roses artwork. They have also broken into the world of gaming to market themselves there. For instance, Sweet Child O’ Mine was used in Guitar Hero II.
There’s also the hugely popular Guns N’ Roses themed slot from NetEnt, which is one of many different themed games at online casinos. The game features Guns N’ Roses imagery on the thumbnail to instantly attract attention, and the game itself features some of the band’s best-known songs.
It’s clear that Guns N’ Roses don’t need to release a new album to still enjoy being at the top of the music world. However, they can’t play the same songs forever, and the calls for fresh content are getting louder. Maybe Perhaps will be the first of many new singles from the band over the next few years.
