Guns N’ Roses has released their highly anticipated new single, ‘The General,’ following its live premiere in Los Angeles about a month ago.
The band introduced ‘The General’ in a live performance at the Hollywood Bowl on November 2. Axl Rose described it as a new song they hadn’t performed previously, suggesting it ‘could be very interesting.’ The track originated from recording sessions for the band’s ‘Chinese Democracy’ album.
‘The General’ marks the fourth song released by Guns N’ Roses since the reunion of Axl Rose, Slash, and Duff McKagan in 2016. It follows ‘Absurd’ and ‘Hard Skool’ from 2021 and ‘Perhaps’ from this year. Originally planned for release in October as the vinyl B-side for ‘Perhaps,’ the song was postponed.
In a 2007 interview, former Skid Row singer Sebastian Bach had mentioned ‘The General,’ praising it as one of his favorite songs by Axl Rose. Bach described it as the heaviest metal tune he had heard from Rose, featuring a slow, grinding riff and high, piercing vocals. According to Bach, Rose had planned to release it as part of a trilogy on the third record in 2012.