Guns N’ Roses Post-Reunion Songs Ranked Worst to Best

When the principal members of Guns N’ Roses reunited in 2016, they didn’t immediately rediscover their songwriting mojo. Just look at our ranked list of Guns N’ Roses post-reunion songs for proof.

Mercurial frontman Axl Rose did the seemingly unthinkable when he buried the hatchet with guitarist Slash and bassist Duff McKagan. The semi-reunited Guns N’ Roses launched a blockbuster reunion tour in 2016, but new songs didn’t follow for several years.

To date, Guns N’ Roses have released six “new” songs since 2016: “Absurd” and “Hard Skool” in 2021; “Perhaps” and “The General” in 2023; and “Nothin'” and “Atlas” in 2025. They all date back to the sessions for 2008’s long-delayed Chinese Democracy and have been updated with new guitar and bass parts from Slash and McKagan.

READ MORE: All 84 Guns N’ Roses Songs Ranked Worst to Best

As a result, some of these “new” tunes sound a bit disjointed — and some of them barely sound like Guns N’ Roses at all. But while none of them quite reach the glorious highs of the band’s classic era, some of them get admirably close.

Read on to see our list of Guns N’ Roses post-reunion songs ranked worst to best.

6. “Absurd” (2021)

You know what they say: First is the worst. When Guns N’ Roses debuted “Absurd” in 2021 as their first post-reunion song, all but the most hardcore fans were gobsmacked by the grinding alt-metal oddity.

“Absurd” had been kicking around for two decades under the working title “Silkworms.” Its choppy, simplistic riffs are bland and mostly inoffensive. But Rose’s overly processed vocals and godawful lyrics are among the worst musical contributions of his career. Simply put, “Absurd” is irredeemable.

5. “The General” (2023)

Rose’s trip-hop affinity rears its head on “The General,” a genre-hopping curio anchored around electronic beats and wah-drenched guitar licks. The frontman employs multiple vocal registers on the track, singing simultaneously in a baritone croon and pinched, nasally sneer.

There aren’t many conventional rock elements to be found in “The General,” save for its doom-laden chorus, which is marred by heavy-handed vocal compression. In terms of composition and production, this song still feels stuck in demo form. Nothing particularly clicks here.

4. “Perhaps” (2023)

Now we’re getting somewhere! “Perhaps” picks up where the Use Your Illusion albums left off: a peppy, Elton John-style piano rocker featuring remorseful lyrics and biting, multi-tracked vocals.

It’s easy to see how “Perhaps” could have fit on Chinese Democracy alongside similar piano-based songs such as “Street of Dreams” and “Catcher in the Rye.” If there’s a downside to the song, it’s the pedestrian rhythm section and uninspired guitar solo. Still, the bones of a solid song are here.

3. “Nothin'” (2025)

Don’t be fooled by the lounge-style keyboards and electronic beats that open “Nothin’.” The song quickly blossoms into a full-fledged power ballad, rife with massive power chords and anthemic hooks.

Slash shines in particular on “Nothin’,” alternating between aching guitar squalls and fiery solos. As Rose wails atop his expressive outro solo, you can almost picture the Guns N’ Roses of yesteryear exploding from your speakers.

2. “Hard Skool” (2021)

Guns N’ Roses fans yearning for the no-holds-barred hard rock of the band’s early days will have to satiate themselves with “Hard Skool.” This brisk rocker is the closest GN’R have gotten to their “vintage” sound since reuniting, full of taut riffs, economical solos and blistering vocals. It’s damn catchy to boot.

“Hard Skool” isn’t perfect. Once again, there’s a strange production sheen over Rose’s vocals, making the gap between the initial recording and contemporary overdubs all the more apparent. The official version also cuts the more ambitious elements of the previously circulated demo. Nevertheless, it gets points for its catchiness and verve.

1. “Atlas” (2025)

If there’s a single song from the crop of post-reunion Guns N’ Roses releases that shows how the band could have soldiered on through the ’90s with their wits and style intact, it’s “Atlas.”

This groovy, mid-tempo rocker preserves GN’R’s hard rock instincts but filters them through a ’90s alt-rock prism. (Imagine the band got really into Spacehog and Tiny Music-era Stone Temple Pilots while making it.) Rose’s vocals are expressive and dynamic, while McKagan delivers nimble bass lines and Slash soars with tasteful leads and solos. On “Atlas,” Guns N’ Roses finally sound reunited.