GUNS N' ROSES — Hard Skool (review)

EP · 2022 · Hard Rock

2.5/5 · 2022-03-03
siLLy puPPy

What the fuck is this shit? New GUNS N ROSES in 2022? I could’ve sworn this band self-destructed 30 years ago with only an art rock project from Axl Rose emerging in its name. Well considering good old Axl has been deemed as one of rock and metal’s biggest dicks in the biz and Slash’s solo efforts have proven fairly mediocre, i guess it’s not a surprise that Axl and Slash along with original member Duff McKagan buried the hatchets in order to cash in on their debut album which remains one of the world’s best selling cash cows.

Everyone knows the story. Back in 1987 GUNS N ROSES came from nowhere and then after a year of pisspoor response found a huge interest in its debut album “Appetite For Destruction” which single-handedly took glam metal out of the gutters and into the skool of hard knocks street smart rawness. As a fan of that album i have to say it didn’t take long for the band to fall from grace. After a cash in acoustic EP and a couple the two volume set of “Use Your Illusions” which easily could’ve been cropped to a single album, the band just got stupid with a lame ass punk album and then a feud and drama drama drama.

That’s where it should’ve all ended but Axl Rose who apparently owns the name GUNS N ROSES decided to resurrect the name and release the oft hated “Chinese Democracy” which i personally find to be an interesting art rock album but certainly not GUNS N ROSES. It was a great period for launching the guitarists Bumblefoot and Buckethead into the world’s arena but really, the magic found on the debut had long dissipated. I never thought this band would reemerge from the gutters but lo and behold here we are in 2022 with a brand spanking new EP that features four tracks and is most likely a prognosticator of a new album down the pike.

I guess it’s not a surprise since Axl, Slash and McKagan have been performing live together for the first time in decades since 2016 and new material was sure to emerge however there not really anything new about this release HARD SKOOL at all really. It’s just a bate and switch reworking of two tracks written during the “Chinese Democracy” days and two live tracks from the early years. The track “Absurd” was previously known as “Silkworms” and the title track HARD SKOOL actually was heard as far back as 2006 and leaked onto the internets in 2019 under the title “Jackie Chan.” The two live tracks include “You’re Crazy” from the debut and “Don’t Cry” from the “Illusion” albums.

I guess this is basically an excuse for the rock rags to drool and go gaga over this has been band in the hopes of garnering the attention of those who never left the late 80s and early 90s. Both the title track HARD SKOOL and “Absurd” are decent enough tunes and definitely point to the earlier years of the band but hardly anything that’s relevant in 2022. Basically i see this EP as an advertisement and nothing more. Hardly essential in any way and i doubt too many will get excited. After all, Axl Rose looks like a street urchin who’s crashed and burned and his voice hasn’t held up too well either. Slash while still in good form seems stuck in a perpetual comfort zone. These guys made so much money on the debut it sorta made them fat and lazy. This is an OK listen for a one time experience but not much more. Next.