Zeppelin

I'm not sure why people keep bringing up Rock The Rock. Doing studio takes and singing 3-hour live shows on the spot are two vastly different things. He may have sounded good in 2017 on a studio take, but singing live is a whole different beast. I don't think he's saving his voice anymore. It's just not what it once was. Quite honestly, I'm surprised his voice has lasted this long, even with the questionable live performances. Someone who uses their voice in such a way could've shot it to hell decades ago.

They've definitely become a more "active" band in certain aspects, so I'll give them credit for that. But I'm not exactly wetting myself in excitement for what they're doing. It still feels like small potatoes.

Much better than Absurd, but a collection of flatulence SFX would've been better than that.

But really, it's just okay. I enjoy it for what it is, but I think I prefer the leak at this point. Still, they did improve a few things with the final version, which I'm happy about. The intro being reworked is something that was sorely needed, and I'm glad they did that. Some parts of the demo felt sloppy (for obvious reasons), and they feel much tighter here. So, there are definitely some positives.

However, the actual sound of the song is pretty lackluster and borders on terrible. The mix is bland/flat, and I agree with others who comment about it sounding processed. One of the cardinal sins of rock is having something sound so processed to the point of it being a criticism of the overall sound of a band whose sound was once quite organic. There's just no life to it. No pep. It falls flat on its face right away as a result. How come the guitar has no bite to it? It sounds like it's being played behind a cement barrier. 

I would say that I wish there were parts added with regards to vocals and such, but we all knew that wasn't going to happen.

Overall, it's okay. Nothing mindblowing, but it's at least a better song this time 'round. A relief, to be sure.

9 minutes ago, duffgnr86 said:

Will ABSURD stay on the setlist with this new track released?

I hope this track becomes big enough to push Absurd into the annals of existence, where it belongs.

13 hours ago, GNRfanMILO said:

Axl literally said it at the show they debuted the song “It’s absurd we’re trying this”.

Get it? ITS A JOKE!!! And Slash and Duff are totally on board.

And the fact that people are getting triggered about it proves the whole damn thing. God move by Uncle Axl.

Honestly, that makes the song even worse. That really doesn’t prove anything. If it is all a big joke, then we can have a shitty song and another decade of silence?

I guess I don’t understand the whole joke angle. Even for people who enjoy the song and think it’s a big joke. Doesn’t it seem like there should be more to follow? If we only get one turd of a song as a joke and nothing else from all this, then I hope the people that enjoy this song really, REALLY enjoy it.

48 minutes ago, oneway23 said:

Russ, I'm glad someone brought this up, because I've been thinking about that a lot this morning.  Fantastic album; honestly should have gotten infinitely more attention than it did.  For any fan of hard rock, please do yourself a favor and check it out.  I can put that on at any time over the past nine years, and it still blows me away.

 

That said, for me, the direct comparison doesn't hold, and, I'll tell you why:  For all the talk about Diamond Dave's vocals, brothaman re-recorded everything contemporaneously; he didn't use the vocal takes from the 1978 Gene Simmons demos.  In many cases, he wrote all new lyrics.  In other words, he put the damn work in.

Same for the band.  All fresh recordings, new arrangements, in some cases, and, most importantly, a few brand-new tunes sprinkled in.

Forget Absurd.  Gettin' heated all over again to blast that album...smokes!

 

Some of the best playing of Ed & Alex's career

Agreed with everything here. Tremendous effort by VH, and a wonderful swan song for the band. One of my top VH albums as well.

I still remember Tattoo being released and the reaction was quite mixed. Diehard fans looked at the track list right away and knew that there were older, reworked songs on the album. But at the end of the day, fans were elated that an album was in the can and about to be unleashed. With a proper release date, too.

Which brings me back to my disappointment about this song. It’s bad. But I could stomach it if I knew an album was imminent or if there was a track list like there was for the VH album. I could be wrong, and hope that I am, about no imminent album release. But I just can’t get excited about a 20-year old, reworked song that blows. The band needs more momentum than this.

8 minutes ago, BadApples87 said:

We waited 30 years for an Axl and Slash song and this is what we got??????????????

I think this is what bothers me about it as well. I totally understand the excitement of it all. And everyone knows that more enthusiasm is great around here.

But so much time… for this. People keep bringing up My World, and while that “song” is dreadful, it was also slapped onto the ass end of a double album that possesses a wealth of tremendous songs. I think if I knew a whole album was following this release, I’d be quite a bit more excited. But with this band, this could be a fart in the wind and we could get nothing for another five years. It’s hard to be excited.

5 minutes ago, Iron MikeyJ said:

No, just no. Riad and Scraped are up there with My World for me. That's my bottom three. As absurd as it sounded to me watching it oon a cell phone video (and not really liking it), the studio version is winning me over. 

I agree with others, I see this as a song 2 ISE and Shackler's spot o nthe album.

I’m glad it’s winning people over, but it’s still bottom of the barrel regardless. And I’m not even saying Riad is great. Just that this song is that much worse.

This song shouldn’t even be uttered in the same breath as ISE. Shackler’s? Maybe. But even that song smokes this thing.

13 hours ago, MattyIce3924 said:

I hated this song with a passion an hour ago but this studio cut is not bad at all. This would have been the best song on CD and Slash kills it. Still working on getting past the “pussy full of maggots” lyric, but I’ll get there. 
 

Fuck GNR for their toxic treatment of me because they’ve got me for awhile again. Goddamn I love this band.

Best song on CD? Yikes. I mean, I get opinions and all, but this song makes Riad sound like Jungle.

This song is an absolute turd.

However, I will admit that seeing an actual song released is pretty damn cool. If they did this with a couple of singles and an eventual album release (even if they are reworked songs like Hard School, etc.), then that’s still amazing in my books.

With all that said, if this song is all we get, then this is the most gratuitous middle finger I’ve ever seen in music. And I love CD.

The lyrics are the least of this song’s problems.

Jesus. I admire people who are excited about this, but fuck me. This is awful music. The starvation is real if this is what we have to get excited about.

I’m glad it’s generating enthusiasm in a roundabout way, but what a low bar. GNR is like the hot girl who keeps feeding guys all these scraps and leading them on, knowing that they will never have a chance.

I’m glad I saw them in 2010 and never again after that. My 2010 show looks like the Ritz in comparison to what we’re getting now.

They should cancel because of the NONEWMUSIC-20, am I right?

I'll see myself out.

2 hours ago, rumandraisin said:

Anyone feeling 2023 for a release date? It's realistic, gives them time to put it together. We know this band goes at a snail's pace, 3 years is a realistic time frame. It also fits in to the 15 years since CD, like the 15 years from TSI. 

I'd rather sooner but I cant see it   

I'd say 2033. They'll release a new single with the 12th Terminator movie.

1 minute ago, sofine11 said:

Riiight, because we all know negative press bounces right off Axl the same way bullets bounce off Superman. 

So he'll do a rant during a few shows and go on tour in 2022.

Nothing will change.

1 hour ago, sofine11 said:

Maybe not, but it's music's biggest publication slapping GNR on the wrist for once again misleading fans. That's not for nothing...

But it is for nothing when they're making money and the frontman is Axl Rose. This article will have the same impact as the negative threads on here: Zero.

Meh. This has all the impact of a fart in the wind. The band isn't going to sit back and go, "Oh shit, they're right. Let's release that brand new album we've been sitting on at midnight!"

It's all just yelling into the same void as before.

2 hours ago, Drakestar said:

Heard a rumour about a London, Ontario date, but I'd be surprised if that works out (Although they've done it a couple times).

I wish, but there's no way that's going to happen.

I'm usually an optimist, but there's no way we're getting a GNR album this year. I'll eat sewage if they come out with a new studio album in 2020. And to add salt to the wound, we'll have to hear more boring SMKC music before any GNR album would ever come close to the light of day. I know people enjoy it, but in a world where GNR could be releasing music and just don't bother, SMKC is not even close to a consolation.

I'm broken up by this news. I immediately thought of his family and hoped that they were at least able to enjoy their time together beyond Neil's retirement. I had no idea he even had brain cancer.

Rush is my favourite band. Like @Powerage5 said, Neil's playing just gets into your head. Even if you only listen to him once, you'll remember so much about his distinct style. He's impossible to forget. The entire band is like that, really. But there are times where I will just listen to Rush and pick out many individual parts, and realize just how exciting they still are. They're exhilarating beyond measure. And then when you listen to the lyrics, it's the exact same impact. To have an artist make such a significant impact both instrumentally and lyrically, and have both aspects synthesize so organically together, is something truly special.

Neil was a force. He'll always be inspirational to me for a variety of reasons, especially considering his willingness to continue with the band after multiple tragic circumstances in his life. It's sad to have to accept that one of the three from the band are now gone, but he's left behind such a legacy, and I know I'll never tire of hearing his performances and songwriting for as long as I live.

R.I.P.

4 hours ago, Basic_GnR_Fan said:

Excellent post on reddit backing me up, with facts and logic

 

These kinds of write-ups just replace one type of logic for another. Han doesn't have to be good at flying just because he's a smuggler. They could've introduced his character and then established Chewie as the main pilot who did all the flying. There's no logic there. That user is just assuming that Han's an established pilot because he was a smuggler. Doesn't really make any more sense than anything else in the SW universe, really. Viewers will connect the dots, sure. But if someone says to me, "Well, Han is a great pilot because he's a smuggler," then I'm not really caring about that. It's not necessarily an inevitable connection to be made.

Then you get the lovely "Well, in the canon book..." fluff that no one actually gives a shit about. There are companion books to the sequel trilogy that explain many other details, too. But no one ever references those because "DISNEY SUCKS" and whatever. In fact, the books offer a much more well-rounded explanation of certain details, including Rey's characterizations and whatnot. But either way, whether it's the Original Trilogy or the Sequel Trilogy, the movies should be able to explain themselves. So, that evidence should be disregarded altogether.

I'm not defending the Sequel Trilogy too much here. There's no doubt there are massive holes and plot points that make no sense, sloppy characterizations, etc. But these "arguments" from those that think the Original Trilogy is so pure are laughable at best. At the end of the day, all of the movies have certain flaws. They're not perfect. And anyone who says "Mary Sue" in any kind of context is annoying and attaches themselves to too much internet groupthink material.

Absolutely love the song. Deserves more credit as a ripping opener to an album.