Guns N’ Roses have unveiled a studio version of their “new” song “Absurd,” which is a reworking of the rare Chinese Democracy-era tune “Silkworms” that was never officially released. Axl Rose and company first performed the song as “Absurd” a few nights ago at Fenway Park in Boston, and then again on Thursday night at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Now, the band has issued the song as an official single, available on all major digital outlets, and streaming in the YouTube player below. It marks the band’s first new single since 2008, save for a 2018 release of an alternate take of the song “Shadow of Your Love” (which had originally appeared as a B-side to “It’s So Easy” in 1987).
It is unclear if the studio recording features the full current lineup of GN’R, including classic members Slash and Duff McKagan, who returned to the band in 2016. The original song “Silkworms” was co-written by Axl Rose, Dizzy Reed, and former member Chris Pitman. The credits for “Absurd” on the official YouTube track list drummer Bryan “Brain” Mantia, who has since been replaced by Frank Ferrer.
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The track itself features heavy effects on Rose’s voice, almost as if he’s singing through a megaphone, as he shouts the song’s scorching lyrics: “Listen motherf**kers to the song that should be heard/ Back down in the gutter is more than you deserve/ Screaming f**king banshee, you know that’s what you are/ P*ssy full of maggots, isn’t that absurd.”
While GN’R never released the song “Silkworms,” they did perform it on a few occasions in 2001. It appears that the newly dubbed “Absurd” will now be a fixture on the band’s current U.S. tour, which runs through a two-night stand October 2nd and 3rd in Hollywood, Florida.
Stream the single “Absurd” in the visualizer below or through various streaming outlets, followed by the live rendition of the song from Thursday night in MetLife Stadium (where Axl Rose lets the audience know that the track would soon be available for download). Tickets for Guns N’ Roses’ upcoming shows are available via Ticketmaster.
New. Fn. Song.
⚡️ ABSUЯD ⚡️
Out NOW. Everywhere.https://t.co/34IcujcmsQ pic.twitter.com/gVh7RUaJ0W— Guns N’ Roses (@gunsnroses) August 6, 2021
Absurd⚡️ pic.twitter.com/3SFxt6F2B2
— Guns N’ Roses (@gunsnroses) August 5, 2021
