Probably listened to each 20-something times through work last night. From the sound of The General, I fully believe the bad pressing rumors. After the much improved sound of Perhaps, and what these songs most likely mean to Axl, I can't see him releasing it sounding like that. B-side or not, Axl obviously wanted it to see the light of day. And tbh, lack of communication and release issues aside (because this IS GN'R after all), the release of The General, and seemingly Soul Monster, considering the nature of the songs, this feels like a genuine gift to the hardcore fans and a bit of a bow on the CD era. Who knows whether we actually get Atlas in the future, or more CD era goodies like SOG, but we've basically gotten all the 'big guns' of CD2. Feels like the end of a journey, and turning the page to something new. And I think Axl on this tour this year reflects that. He seems like he's finally moving on. I actually believe we may get a new album of ACTUAL new music, because the band genuinely seems to be having fun now. It's still obviously just a giant corporation now, but they actually seem more like a bandagain, with the varied setlists, Axl giving as much effort as he has left, and the band spending time together in the studio working on "new" music to release. Axl seems like his juices are flowing for the first time since 2007.

But anyways, assuming it is Soul Monster, I can totally hear what Axl means when he said it was their most Sabbath moment - that came across to me in the first few listens. And that honestly might be the most venomous and angry thing I've heard Axl record in a studio setting. It sounds like Axl at his rawest screaming from deep inside of him.

Per Fernando on reddit, hilariously replying to a post calling for TB's removal as management, "releases are starting to get slotted." So, seemingly there's more planned. But it's GN'R, so...

I'd be interested to hear it. Just for Slither and SOYL.

Not exactly much to say or talk about that hasn't been talked to death already. Unless new music happens or there's a radically different setlist on the tour and Axl comes out swinging like he's still in AC/DC, it's just treading the same old ground.

I didn't know we traveled back to 1988...