Hard Skool Officially Released at Midnight - Sept 24

[betterman]

I think the organ i Dizzy but its a nice addition, it not very audible anyway..

[THELINESMAN]

Half expected to hear a sampled voice in a megaphone effect saying 'Aren't you gonna record this one?' during the intro. Would have been a nice touch after listening to the soundcheck version for so long  

[Tiedemies]

As an old and jaded Guns N' Roses fan, I feel rather underwhelmed. The chorus is good, but other than that the song feels incomplete and lacking energy. Of course I don't expect 50+ years old multimillionaires having the hunger and drive of their younger selves, but these "new" songs seem too patterned, like if I drag in bits and bobs on the grid in FL Studio. They lack organic flow and the little flourishes and trills that made Guns N' Roses different from their peers back in their heyday. Compare Hard Skools middle eight to Rocket Queen's and it's quite drastic. I see people saying that this would fit right in on either UYI. To that I have to say, that I guess I've listened different records the last 30 years.

Edited September 24, 2021 by Tiedemies

[Bucketdude_666]

3 hours ago, Martin Riggs said:

So this bit was in the Billboard article about the song:

For a band with a reputation of keeping their fans waiting, GN’R is in a groove. “Hard Skool” is their second release in as many months, following the release of "Absurd," also a revamp of an unreleased song from the Chinese Democracy era.

On the latest record, Rose is listed as co-producer alongside Chinese Democracy co-producer Caram Costanzo. Seven co-writers worked on the release, just the second since the return of original members Slash and Duff McKagan in 2016 for the group's long-running Not in This Lifetime trek.

Not sure where they’re getting the 7 co-writers info unless they’re just counting all the current band members?

Does in any place has been posted the credits?

[AtlasShrugged]

It pains me to say it but Axl is the weakest link on both Absurd and Hard Skool.

Everyone I’ve sent HS has talked about how weak the verse vocals are. Strange given he’s perceived as the so-called perfectionist vs the more “rough and ready” Slash. 

[THELINESMAN]

3 minutes ago, AtlasShrugged said:

It pains me to say it but Axl is the weakest link on both Absurd and Hard Skool.

Everyone I’ve sent HS has talked about how weak the verse vocals are. Strange given he’s perceived as the so-called perfectionist vs the more “rough and ready” Slash. 

I would have preferred it if the entire song was sung in the raspy chorus vocals too. Maybe he kept it this way as it's easier for him to sing live? I'm just happy to have new music either way. 

[RasmusGuns]

Perhaps og Altas next?

[axl666]

This is a really cool song. I always thought that the solo was the weakest part of the original demo, whereas this is really melodic. It's got kind of a Godfather/Beatles vibe to it.

Axl's voice sounds really good as well. It reminds me of his voice in Sympathy for the Devil.

[Malcolm Malcolm]

10 hours ago, MaskingApathy said:

That's not true, there's drum sounds on rock records that came out this year that sound much better than this song. This one should like cheap samples plus it's too obvious that the drums have been heavily quantized. Yes I know that most rock/metal nowadays has quantized/mapped drums but it doesn't sound so much like a cheap drum machine, it still sounds like a real drummer. The kick is way too loud imo, to where the rest of the kit (esp cymbals) are too soft. Cowbell needs to stand out a lot more like it does on all the old classic GnR material. There's some weird comping/editing going on with the drums too.

I know a lot of people don't like Elvis' production on SMKC and Alter Bridge but his mixes sound way better than this one. He also did the WVH and upcoming Tremonti albums and those drums (and overall mixes) sound incredible. For a band of GnR's status I would expect better. I guess it's fine if they want to keep Caram around to engineer the sessions but I think they need to get a real producer and mix engineer to work on their stuff. Like the mix on SOYL, that's what this should sound like.

The day Guns N' Roses start taking lessons from the guitar player from Creed is the day I'll stop listening to them.

[jimisbatman]

Im over the moon to be getting a new song, however. It feels cut and pasted and overly sterile. Listen to HS, then listen to Down On The Farm, I know axl has moved on from Mike Clink, but he could produce this way better than Caram, and make it sound like GNR. With DOTF, listen to the drums, then guitar tone, then vocals, and it sounds like a band in the same room. HS appears to have a disconnect between instruments/vocals IMO.  Why does TSI sound better than this, it can't be the budget, they have plenty of money, and technology has increased since then. However, still hyped to be getting new song, however lackluster i feel about it.

Edited September 24, 2021 by jimisbatman

[D..]

32 minutes ago, betterman said:

I think the organ i Dizzy but its a nice addition, it not very audible anyway..

I doubt it's Dizzy, Melissa is the one constantly using organs for whatever... I remember noticing this when seeing Guns in 2018, on Sweet Child, Melissa butchers the song with unecessary organs.

[JimiRose]

any radio play in UK or USA? In UK i guess it'd be planet rock, absolute radio, radio 1, radio 6 or XFM that would play it. 

[Blackstar]

4 hours ago, Martin Riggs said:

So this bit was in the Billboard article about the song:

For a band with a reputation of keeping their fans waiting, GN’R is in a groove. “Hard Skool” is their second release in as many months, following the release of "Absurd," also a revamp of an unreleased song from the Chinese Democracy era.

On the latest record, Rose is listed as co-producer alongside Chinese Democracy co-producer Caram Costanzo. Seven co-writers worked on the release, just the second since the return of original members Slash and Duff McKagan in 2016 for the group's long-running Not in This Lifetime trek.

Not sure where they’re getting the 7 co-writers info unless they’re just counting all the current band members?

4 hours ago, GNR 1991 said:

who are the seven co-writers and where was that info published?

My guess is they got it from the credits in the Aien cover on youtube and Spotify. Since, like everyone, Aien don't know who wrote it, they have credited all the 1999 lineup as writers (Axl, Tobias, Dizzy, Finck, Stinson, Freese and Pitman).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbXgPz7GaXQ&list=OLAK5uy_mKeYaommiJjFjhNwCKSxbqmmApZIyam_k&index=2

Edited September 24, 2021 by Blackstar

[19AT5]

Just had another listen through some decent headphones as opposed to in ear buds. Definitely sounds a lot better but fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck me the production is messy! Not entirely sure why there is so much compression on literally everything. It is rancid! Out with that, I think the song packs a decent punch. Middle section with the slide guitar doesn't fit though. But overall, it's a lot better than Absurd, which isn't all that difficult to be fair. One of my major criticisms of ChiDem is the needless and pointless low mix instrumentation and that appears to be apparent within Hard Skool also which is a shame. But great to hear Slash taking a track and making it a lot better. Axl should really leave production duties to others though!!! Just my twopence though. 

[allwaystired]

5 minutes ago, JimiRose said:

any radio play in UK or USA? In UK i guess it'd be planet rock, absolute radio, radio 1, radio 6 or XFM that would play it. 

I doubt Radio 1 or Radio 6 would touch GNR! 

The others maybe.....but I can't say I've heard Absurd anywhere other than my house! 

[19AT5]

2 minutes ago, allwaystired said:

I doubt Radio 1 or Radio 6 would touch GNR! 

The others maybe.....but I can't say I've heard Absurd anywhere other than my house! 

Shaun Keavney on 6Music might play it. Steve Lamaq also perhaps. Planet Rock have now at least posted the release on their page so may be waiting until later before they play it? Christ knows though. I think the song has some radio potential. Which is more than can be said Absurd! 

[adamsapple]

3 hours ago, GNR 1991 said:

who are the seven co-writers

Hard Skool is basically the Dead Horse intro with some Buckethead that has now been replaced with Slash emulating a bit of "Layla" and then some Mozart thrown in for good measure.

After having 200 "producers" tinker with it, they gave whatever was left of it to a 12-year old to do the final mix and mastering on Windows 95.

The song is the definition of creative and artistic bankuptcy.

[Realitysux]

It is unfortunate the way those songs are being released,

 

1.The vast population  will not care about them they are mediocre and also released like it is an adventure game u need to go out of your way and find out that there is an new GNR song

2. They have put extra layers into an overlayered mess

3.THEY ARE 20 YEARS LATE ,on everything written by different people, played through the years by another dozen musicians, designed to be semi-industrial electronic now turned to hard rock 

4. The few people that actually care know the songs already, for 20 years , I remember just getting out of highschool with my crappy net around 2000 and downloading Silkworms

5.Everything is disconnected, the art is neutral, the handling of publicity is random no interviews no videoclips and in the end no care for the release, it is like Axl rose handed couple of demos with some orders and then went back into watching netflix in his villa

 

TLDR

Too many yes man for Axl, have some respect for yourself SLash and duff an just leave GNR again

 

THe biggest Irony is that actually listening to Slash albums with myles(I hate his vocals) SLash could come up with better hard rock riffs in 2 days than the pile of shit that ESPECIALLY Hard skool is,

 

P.S.

SIlkworms original used to be one my favourite GNR songs , the new absurd is a random mess

[Underhardy]

Dude… this sounds like it’s supposed to be the demo. Or a fan made remix. The village leak was a lot better. Opinions can change after it sinks in more, but damn. They cut the stuff that added flavor to the song. All the cool little things cut. Slash’s solo was cool but damn and really Axl taking the Mc Daddy Haaay Haays in the breakdown lol. And how corny is the fucking locker cover and the bell in the intro… ugh

Edited September 24, 2021 by Underhardy

[Blackstar]

5 hours ago, Martin Riggs said:

Already getting some press:

https://pitchfork.com/news/guns-n-roses-share-new-song-hard-skool-listen/

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/guns-n-roses-hard-skool-1231669/amp/

https://www.billboard.com/amp/articles/news/9634795/guns-n-roses-hard-skool-1548

More articles:

https://www.spin.com/2021/09/guns-n-roses-share-hard-skool/

https://www.yahoo.com/now/listen-guns-n-roses-exhilarating-092412512.html

https://www.nme.com/news/music/guns-n-roses-return-with-new-song-hard-skool-3054124

https://ultimateclassicrock.com/guns-n-roses-hard-skool-2/

https://bravewords.com/news/guns-n-roses-new-single-hard-skool-released

[username]

This whole song is a mixed bag for me honestly. I'm not a huge fan of the mix, mostly the drums. Though the HQ version does sound a lot better than the original NZ rip. I like the bass-intro. The overall riff is ok but a bit less aggressive than the demo. I think the bell at the start (and the locker artwork) are cheesy. The two things that bother me the most are the bridge and the final minute. The old bridge was kept interesting because of the guitar parts and it kind of made you wonder where things were going without killing the energy of the song. The new bridge is more wailing and honestly a bit boring to me. It takes too long and loses attention and energy. The final minute was an absolute riptide you got caught in with the demo version and imo the best part about the song. And while by no means bad, the new ending (final minute) is easily 2 or 3 steps down from that. Less frantic. Those are all things that you can probably get used to and I wouldn't even notice if I hadn't heard the demo version. But they bother me now. Though I will admit that it gets better after a number of listens, I still miss the agressive energy of the demo. So far that's my honest review. Also it bothers me way more than it should that they spelled it "skool".

Maybe this song perfectly examplifies what Reunion-Guns is compared to 2001 Guns. 2001 Guns was ambitious, aggressive and had everything to prove. They had a more experimental mindset and were just so eager. Reunion Guns on the other hand is pretty much done with proving anything, they're not aggressive or eager, but more relaxed and going on whatever they have going. Without trying to make a fataxl joke, they're not hungry anymore. That's kind of how this Hardschool relates to the demo as well. 

What bothers more even more is that this was the last tiny little bit of perspective GnR fans had left. Now, I admit ABSURD came absolutely out of nowhere for us too, so this band is capable of surprises. But there's nothing else they rehearsed, nothing else that was on setlists as optionals, nothing else that's any substantial rumour. And management certainly isn't giving us anything either in terms of information/perspective. I hope GnR will do some of this soon. An announcement of an album or a new single at the very least, because we're currently back in pitchblack nothingness.

Edited September 24, 2021 by username

[Tio Didi]

Minus the melodic intro, I prefer the demo.

[username]

2 minutes ago, Blackstar said:

More articles:

https://www.spin.com/2021/09/guns-n-roses-share-hard-skool/

https://www.yahoo.com/now/listen-guns-n-roses-exhilarating-092412512.html

https://www.nme.com/news/music/guns-n-roses-return-with-new-song-hard-skool-3054124

https://ultimateclassicrock.com/guns-n-roses-hard-skool-2/

https://bravewords.com/news/guns-n-roses-new-single-hard-skool-released

It's interesting how they're all reporting it, but they're being very scarce with opinions on it. Nobody is really reviewing it. 

[Blackstar]

2 minutes ago, username said:

It's interesting how they're all reporting it, but they're being very scarce with opinions on it. Nobody is really reviewing it. 

I think it's just too early. It was like that with Absurd, too. At first the sites just reported it and later some of them reviewed it.

[JimiRose]

33 minutes ago, allwaystired said:

I doubt Radio 1 or Radio 6 would touch GNR! 

The others maybe.....but I can't say I've heard Absurd anywhere other than my house! 

I've just heard it on Planet rock, but interesting enough they seem to have cut slashes solo slightly. its only 3 and a half minutes! but it sounded like 2 bars cut off.