GUNS N' ROSES ALBUM - IT'S OFFICIAL

Oh my god, look what's finally coming out.

I can't tell you how excited I am to know that the album Chinese Democracy is coming out on November 23rd in the US (so presumably 24th November in the UK).

To pre-empt the obvious question - should I trust this news? - I'm going to go out on a limb and say definitely yes for a few reasons. One, you can pre-order the album in the US here. Two, there's artwork (above). Three, there's an official press release which you can read here on what is the most reliable GN'R fansite. Four, they wouldn't schedule a release only a month away if it wasn't 100% (all the other false start release dates have been some way ahead of their 'announcement'). And finally five, Axl, Geffen and everyone else involved surely must need the money by now.

Like a lot of fans, I've heard several of the 14 album tracks already, such as IRS, Catcher In The Rye, There Was A Time, Better, Madagascar, The Blues and Shackler's Revenge, so already have a pretty good idea of what to expect.

Of course, it can never realistically justify the wait we've all had, and it won't even necessarily recapture those prime times of the late 80s/early 90s, but if I could say one thing to anyone who hears it, it's just try and listen to it on its own merits. And if you still don't like Chinese Democracy, then fair enough. But at least you can't say it was rushed out.