Guns N' Roses Release Studio Version Of New Song 'Absurd'

New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Guns N' Roses have officially released their new song "Absurd." The track hit digital streaming services at midnight ET on Aug. 6. "Absurd" recently found its way into Guns N' Roses' setlist, first performed during the band's Aug. 3 stop in Boston.

"Some of you might have heard this under another name," Axl Rose admitted to the crowd that night. "But this is really kind of absurd for us to try this. Wasn't that funny? And they don't even know the joke yet. Ok, this is called 'Absurd.'"

The other name Rose was alluding to was "Silkworms," an abandoned song from the Chinese Democracy sessions. Though the track was ultimately left off the album, it was performed live by the band on four different occasions in 2001.

Originally, keyboardist Dizzy Reed wrote "Silkworms" alongside now-departed bandmate Chris Pittman.

"It was passed back and forth on our computers," Reed explained to Metal Sludge in 2006. "We pass[ed] it back and forth and I had a couple riffs."

In a 2008 chat with fans following the release of Chinese Democracy, Rose noted that "Silkworms" had changed and now had "a lot of guitars, lots of different drum[s] (and) the chorus is gone."

Given the song's evolution, it's understandable why Rose referred to "Absurd" as "a new Guns N' Roses song" during the Boston set. While the two tracks share many similarities, "Silkworms" -- like much of Chinese Democracy --- featured a heavy electronic influence, while "Absurd" is full of heavy handed guitar solos and bombastic drums.

The track is the first piece of material to be released by GNR since the classic lineup reunited in 2016.