Blackstar

Yes, they are from the locker leaks. The first song you described is called State of Grace. I don't know about the other, since you didn't provide any description.

From the songs on CD: the vocals on Shackler's Revenge were definitely recorded after 2003 because of the subject matter of the lyrics. Also the vocals on Better, Sorry, Scraped and This I Love were recorded after 2000 for sure, most likely 2002 or later. From the leaks: The vocals This I Love remix. Monsters/Soul Monster vocals were also most likely recorded after 2003 (Axl said he recorded them "on a Christmas Eve" and I think a forum member found that there was a studio booked at Christmas 2004 - Axl was also in the studio during the holidays in 2006).

I don't mean it so much in the sense that Axl is afraid of criticism, but in the sense an album is much more of a "statement" than individual songs. And what kind of statement would such an album be? It can't be the continuation of CD, since that project was over long ago and it wouldn't really connect with CD 1 as years have gone by. And it can't be the reunion album either, because it comes from another era. So it's kind of out of time and place. The standalone way is a way to still release these songs that Axl has been sitting on for so long and wanted to release without making a "statement". I don't mind it at all. My only problem is the big gaps between releases.

The problems is that an album consisting of CD era "leftovers" can't be the reunion album and can't be the second half of CD either, because that project and era don't exist anymore. So the standalone songs way seems to be the only "harmless" way to get these songs out.

Yeah: Axl: Okay, so we're gonna try a new song... one I haven't sang since this tour started somewhere this spring. This could be very interesting. If there's ever a better place to fall on your face, I think this fuckin' counts... This is called The General.

https://www.spin.com/2023/11/guns-n-roses-the-general-debut-hollywood-bowl/

I think it was about both: that it would be The General AND Monsters and also that what we thought was The General was Monsters. The second hint in the joke wouldn't make sense without the first one. It's the kind of inside joke Fernando would make so that he could go back and say "I told you it was a monster" etc.

I think, if we consider that screenshot of the alleged CD2 track list real, all tracks included in it have vocals. Tonto and Nothing are in there (which maybe means that Axl finished Nothing at some point), and there's also "Monstrocity" and "4 Heavens", whatever these are (I don't think 4 Heavens is KOHD as many people believe).

I think hoarders didn't have even earlier versions of either song, as it seems that everyone, including "insiders", thought that Monsters from the cell phone recording was The General. Probably it was leaked by someone associated with the band, but not necessarily with the band's permission.

https://www.instagram.com/lias1229/

Yes. There are no shows in December (and there won't be for a while).

"Fuck this band. They hate hardcore fans" (Flashback from this forum a week ago )

That's the job of the publisher of the artist and in Axl's case it's Universal. We'll have to wait until it's up in other databases that get the information from Slash/Duff's and Brain's end. It's not just the registration. It's also Fernando's quip and even the fact that the tracks leaked together. If Monsters was going to be released separately from the beginning, e.g. with Altas, it most likely wouldn't have leaked or Atlas would have leaked, too. That's an additional reason why I think a mistake in the registration is unlikely. So I think they're either being released together or there's a change of plan that is due to the poor quality of the vinyl pressing because of the length of the two tracks. If that's the case, it was a poor decision on the band's part to make it vinyl exclusive.

Yeah, but on the other hand it was more than what we expected and were promised.

I wouldn't rule it out completely, but I think such a mistake is unlikely. These databases have mistakes sometimes, but they're mostly about who are listed as writers and who are the publishers. But having two songs in one registration by mistake is not common (I don't think).

That would be the best case scenario. I hope you're right, because I don't want to wait a year or more for an official release of Monsters

Two shows back to back must be too much for Axl these days. I guess they played KOHD after Rocket Queen and then T.V. Eye after that so that he could rest his voice.

So you're going to eat ass now?

Another possibility is that they originally intended to release them together (probably with Monsters as a hidden track) and that's why they were registered together, but then they found out that the quality on the 7'' was very low, so they sent it again for pressing without Monsters.

To me the fact that they have been registered together logically means that they are being released together - not as one song, but as part 1 and part 2 on the same release. Unless the registration was a mistake.

I think they played KOHD early at one of the European shows, too.

Maybe they'll play it in Mexico where Axl will be "free" to blow his voice since it's the last show (No, highly doubtful)

Yes, that's how I reckon they could be released, as separate songs but consisting a Pt. 1 and Pt. 2, so they would have to be released together as a pair and not, for example, as b-sides on two different singles.

I don't think they would leave Pitman on the track. I agree about Hard Skool. It doesn't make much sense that it would be Melissa and not Dizzy, but maybe she did something else on it (the bell, as someone said ) https://www.mygnrforum.com/topic/226314-monsterssoul-monster-new-information-from-marco-beltrami-leaves-no-room-for-doubt/?do=findComment&comment=5046542

Thanks! Do you remember by any chance if what you heard was only Monsters or it was both The General and Monsters?