Miracles do happen at Christmas, and this one pretty striking; after years of waiting, Axl Rose has confirmed that Guns n'Roses new album, 'Chinese Democracy' will be released next year, with a tentative release date of 6th March.
Unfortunately this news is coupled by the news that the band will have to cancel US shows to finish work on the album.
In an open letter to fans on the band's site, Axl says:
Because of the scheduling of these particular shows, valuable time needed by the band and record company for the proper setup and release of the album Chinese Democracy would have been lost. Rather than delay the album yet again, all involved have decided to remove these shows from GN'R's schedule.
To say the making of this album has been an unbearably long and incomprehensible journey would be an understatement. Overcoming the endless and seemingly insane amount of obstacles faced by all involved, notwithstanding the emotional challenges endured by everyone -- the fans, the band, our road crew and business team -- has at many times seemed like a bad dream in which one wakes up only to find that they are still in the nightmare. Unfortunately, this time it has been played out for over a decade in real life.
He goes on to emphasise that although several hundred different release dates for the album have been bandied around in the past, this is the only time that the band themselves have publically set one and that the band will keep fans notified about the finalised date. Somehow, the fabled album seems to be getting more real!