personally, considering that Axl took so long to lay down november rain and estranged (two of the very best guns songs) i am not surprised this project has stretched on for years. I think alot of people critique the new guns because it is somewhat chic to bash axl; it is easy because we hardly ever hear a peep from him. Alot of the rumors about him are clearly false (hair plugs, lipo....) but it is more fun and everyone appears to be smarter if we badmouth him.
I am sure when CD comes out and blows away the critics like it promises to, alot of you will come back and extol how great Axl is and how GnR was really his baby. New young fans will flock to the shows and proclaim that they were always there.....but those of us that have stuck by the band all this time, thru all the ****e, know the difference between fair weather and hardcore fans. We wear our buckets proudly now and take your ridicule and criticism knowing full well that you will come back to the primal serpentine dance.
My only advice is to watch what you say and have an open mind because bashing the new gnr without having really heard it (we only heard 5 bootlegged concert tracks) is unfair to the band and unfair to the hardcore fans who have waited 8 years for this album, thru all the fighting and lawsuits. We all want rock to succeed again and a killer GnR record will do wonders for the rebirth of rock n roll.