Guns N’ Roses continue their streak of new material with the much improved ‘Hard Skool.’ It’s the first ‘Gn’R’ sounding track to be released since the reunion with Slash and Duff. And despite it’s semi-lame title, the song is actually pretty good.
Sure, it’s still not quite up to par with the peak of the ‘Use Your Illusion’ albums. But it’s really close. And it’s a huge step in the right direction. After ‘Absurd’ was released, I was really worried about the potential musical steering that Gn’R were taking. But, thankfully, that’s been put to rest with the release of ‘Hard Skool.’ An old school, punk infused Guns track that sounds like it’s straight out of the noggin of Duff McKagan.
Like ‘Absurd,’ it’s not truly a new track. But, it’s new enough and it actually fits the Gn’R sound. It really does take you back to 1991. Especially with the locker graffiti imagery that goes along with the video. The track opens with a classic, punk influenced bass line. Before going into that classic Gn’R hybrid sound of classic hard rock and punk. There’s a manic depressive vibe to the track that’s sure to resonate with young people. Axl sounds quite good on it actually. I know a lot of people give him shit for his current vocals. But he’s made significant improvements over the years. And he’s a lot closer to sounding like he did during his peak than most of his peers.
Slash’s guitar tone sounds like it would fit perfectly with any original Guns album. His solo is an excellent mixture of typical Slash proficiency and killer melodies. The chorus is a catchy sing along. Giving the track a timeless feel that’s lacking greatly in today’s musical climate. And the overall production is very satisfying.
‘Hard Skool’ is the track that most Guns fans were hoping would be released originally. But it’s better late than never. Hopefully, next, we get a bad ass riff rocker. Like ‘Locomotive’ or ‘Pretty Tied Up.’
