Hard rock icons Guns N’ Roses are reportedly hard at work on their long-awaited follow-up album, marking their first new full-length LP since 2008’s “Chinese Democracy.” Guitarist Slash recently confirmed in Guitar Player magazine that a new album is “coming,” though without a specific timeframe. This development comes after a significant nearly two-decade gap since their last studio effort, a pattern not uncommon for the band, which famously took 17 years between the 1991 “Use Your Illusion” albums and “Chinese Democracy.” The latter was a project predominantly helmed by singer Axl Rose, without the involvement of original Guns N’ Roses members like Slash and bassist Duff McKagan.

Slash elaborated on the band’s unique creative process, highlighting both the abundance of material and the challenges of disciplined studio work. He stated, “There’s so much material at this point — it’s a matter of having the discipline to sit down and f—ing get into it.” However, he emphasized that planning ahead has often proven counterproductive for Guns N’ Roses. “Every time we’ve done that, it falls apart,” Slash explained, noting that the band’s workflow, especially with the famously mercurial Axl Rose, relies on spontaneous inspiration. He described it as something that “just spontaneously happens through some sort of inspiration that triggers it,” affirming, “it’s coming. I know it’s coming because everybody is thinking about it. It’ll just happen when it happens.”

Despite the extended wait for a new album, the semi-reunited band, now featuring Slash and Duff McKagan alongside longtime keyboardist Dizzy Reed, has been actively touring the world. In the interim, fans have been treated to new studio versions of tracks like “Absurd” and “Hard Skool” in 2021, followed by “Perhaps” in 2023. These songs, often debuted live, have served to satisfy the demand for fresh Guns N’ Roses music. Previous whispers about new material also surfaced, with McKagan indicating in 2019 that an album was “cooking” but adhering to the band’s tradition of not discussing it overtly.

As anticipation builds for the new release, Guns N’ Roses continues its global performances. The band is currently on its “Because What You Want & What You Get Are Two Completely Different Things” tour, with upcoming shows in South American and Central American cities through November 8, including a scheduled performance in Medellin, Colombia. The characteristic unpredictability surrounding their album releases remains a defining aspect of Guns N’ Roses, making the eventual arrival of new music a highly anticipated event for their dedicated fanbase.