Review: Guns N Roses Release 2 New Songs (“Atlas,” “Nothing”) To Announce ’26 Tour

*Image taken from the internet and probably copyright

Last month (November ’25), Guns N Roses announced the next leg of what seems to be their never ending tour that will extend through the summer of 2026. To placate fans, many who are like me, who are clamoring for new Guns music they also announced they were releasing two more “new” songs, “Nothing” and “Atlas.” Although, along with being one of the greatest rock bands ever, GnR are still “the gang who can’t shoot straight,” and the songs which were supposed to come out December 2nd, inexplicably weren’t released until yesterday, December 4th. Keep bringing that drama, Axl.

I think it’s been almost 10 years since GnR announced that original members Slash (lead guitarist extraordinaire) and Duff McKagan (bass, well, extraordinaire) were returning to the fold and the band was going out on the road. Original lead singer Axl Rose was still helming GnR with Richard Fortus (rhythm guitar), and drummer Richard Ferrer who has since recently been replaced by Isaac Carpenter. And of course, Dizzy Reed & Melissa Reese on keyboards. Like all other Guns fans, I was delighted and saw them at Arrowhead Stadium early when they went back on the road in KC in 2016. That was one helluva show. And yes, I saw them again (on what appears to be the same tour) just a couple of summers ago at Royals Stadium.

I enjoyed both of those shows immensely, although my friend RK and I may have been slightly “over served” at that last one. Live your life. But I think I speak for most GnR fans when I say, we want some new Guns N Roses music! Their debut, Appetite For Destruction, was one of the greatest debut albums of all time. Then their magnum opus, the Use Your Illusions albums, did nothing but burnish that legend. Sadly after that, original rhythm guitarist (and songwriting secret weapon) Izzy Stradlin split. It didn’t take long until everybody was gone but Axl Rose.

The rest, as they say, is history. Axl labored and tinkered on their next album for decades. To say that Chinese Democracy was a disappointment is an understatement. I listen to it now and there are some moments that are pretty good, but that album was doomed to crumble under the weight of all the expectations it was born under.

Perhaps we could all be forgiven for thinking that the return of Slash and Duff would drive GnR to capitalize on the new momentum from the road and take it into the studio. Alas, all we’ve gotten from GnR since 2021 is a series of singles. All of these tracks were leftovers from the sessions for Chinese Democracy, and most had been leaked in their original form and widely bootlegged. I will admit right up front I’ve never heard or even sought out any of those boots so this stuff is all new to me – which I think it is for most non-obsessive fans. Rather than create some truly new stuff, Axl and the gang take these older Chinese Democracy era tracks back in the studio and Duff and Slash re record the bass and lead guitar parts. Admittedly, Slash & Duff elevate any track they play on.

These two new tracks bring the total of released, rewarmed Chinese Democracy leftovers to six songs. At this point, it’s starting to feel like rock n roll necrophilia. C’mon guys, give us something truly new. The four tracks they’d previously released are a bit of a mixed bag. The first track they dropped was  2021’s aptly titled “Absurd.” I was stunned they picked such a bad song to be the first new GnR song in 13 years. I thought that one was awful. They quickly made up for that later in ’21 with the great rocker “Hard Skool.” Duff’s bass really helped elevate that one.

2023 saw the release of a midtempo/ballad thing in “Perhaps.” I actually liked that one a whole lot. It almost felt like Axl admitting to what sounded like… regret? Other than “Hard Skool” it’s the pick of the litter for me. Then they ended ’23 with the awful track “The General,” one that even Slash couldn’t pull out of the dumpster fire.

And now, as the final sands are dropping out of the hourglass of 2025, we get these two new songs. Now, I may be complaining that these are not really new and they’re just warmed-over but I actually really like these songs. I’m telling you the chemistry of Axl/Slash/Duff can be magic. I thought maybe one of these would be midtempo and one would be a screaming rocker but no, they’re both midtempo, bordering on ballads. That’s not necessarily a bad thing.

The first track is “Nothing.” The track starts off with some 70s electric piano and I’m like, yes!! It borders on soulful, at least in terms of Axl’s vocals. Slash and Duff indeed elevate this thing. I love Slash’s understated guitar solo. It’s perfect. “Nothing” is a classic power ballad. This may be my favorite of the two tracks:

The second track up is a song called “Atlas.” Apparently it used to be called “Atlas Shrugged.” Beware any rock star quoting crap author Ayn Rand. Even Neil Peart, who was a fan of Rand’s early in Rush’s career, has admitted that it was “misguided.” “Atlas” is the more midtempo, less ballad-y track of the two. It’s also not a bad song. It’d have made a solid album track on any GnR album. It rocks a little more. Here it is:

So we end 2025 with two decent Guns N’ Roses tracks which is never a bad thing… unless it’s “The General.” But I can’t help being a little disappointed they can’t pull their act together long enough to spend a little time in the studio putting together something genuinely new. People are going to get tried of leftovers eventually… and yet here I am writing about them and actually generally excited about these new tracks. New Guns is always welcome. As usual, I just want more. Aren’t we all dying for a new GnR album in our lives?

Enjoy these new tracks while we continue to light candles and hope the lads will bang out something new in the next… few years?

Cheers!