Guns N’ Roses fans sure have “Patience.” They’ve been eagerly waiting for a new album from the Guns N’ Roses band members since 2008’s Chinese Democracy. Some say more music may be on the horizon soon, and that their 2023 single “The General” and its AI-generated video — which was just released in January — are signaling that Axl Rose and company are reloading and close to making fans’ hopes come true this year.
The “trippy” new video, as Billboard describes it, features live performance footage “mixed with swirling, candy-colored rotoscope-like images of a young boy navigating through a futuristic world.” In a statement, the band said that the high-tech clip “dives into the subconscious of a young boy who stares down the monsters of dark childhood memories, blurring worlds in the process.”
The envelope-pushing video is just the latest missive from the band that exploded onto the LA music scene back in 1985 with their raw mix of heavy metal, classic rock and punk. What’s known as the classic five lineup of members — Axl Rose, Slash, Izzy Stradlin, Duff McKagan, and Steven Adler — “became a brotherhood” almost instantly, McKagan’s stated, adding that “the chemistry was immediate, thunderous, and soulful.”
That certainly showed in their music: 1987’s Appetite for Destruction sold over 30 million copies and still stands as the highest-selling debut album of all time thanks to hits such as “Welcome to the Jungle,” “Paradise City,” and “Sweet Child O’ Mine.” Later classic such as “November Rain” and “Don’t Cry” further cemented their status as rock gods.
The classic five — and the revolving door of Guns N’ Roses band members who’ve come and gone over the past 30-plus years — “left a deep, outrageous mark on rock & roll legend, with train-wreck behavior and nonstop warring with the outside world,” Rolling Stone’s David Fricke noted upon their induction to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2012. “The daily dramas at the height of the band’s commercial and confrontational power…included addiction, alcoholism, lawsuits, and chronically late shows that, on occasion, descended into full-scale riots. There was constant feuding with the record label, the rock press, and other bands, compounded by the hair-trigger tensions within GNR itself.”
“Our attitude epitomizes what rock & roll is all about,” Slash once told Rolling Stone of the Guns N’ Roses band members’ explosive reputation. “We fu—in’ bleed and sweat for it, you know? We do a lot of things where other bands will be, like, ‘Get the stunt guys to do it.’”
And in late 2022, he hinted that in addition to sporadic singles and touring over the next couple of years, the release of a more complete recording might be expected. “I wanna go in and cut a whole brand new record at some point, probably sooner than later,” he revealed in a SiriusXM interview. “We have one more tour left to do next summer, and then that’ll free us up to be able to go in and work on a new record.”
In 2023 a six-month world tour did take place, wrapping up in November. For those shows, Rose, Slash, McKagan, and Reed were joined by keyboardist and snyth programmer Melissa Reese, drummer Frank Ferrer, and guitarist Richard Fortus, the latter two being former members of The Psychedelic Furs.
As we all wait for further announcements of potential 2024 tour dates or that long-awaited next album, let’s take a look at some Guns N’ Roses band members who have made the biggest impact.
