''Hard Skool'' is a single and the fourth extended play by the American

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...

band

Guns N' Roses Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1985. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band comprised vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff McKa ...

. The single was released on September 24, 2021, with the EP following on February 25, 2022. The EP consists of two recent singles and two live tracks, and is their first EP release with guitarist

Slash Slash may refer to: * Slash (punctuation), the "/" character Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Slash (Marvel Comics) * Slash (''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'') Music * Harry Slash & The Slashtones, an American rock band * Nash th ...

and bassist Duff McKagan since they rejoined the band in 2016.

Background

The tracks " Absurd" and "Hard Skool" were initially written during the ''

Chinese Democracy ''Chinese Democracy'' is the sixth studio album by American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, released on November 23, 2008, by Black Frog and Geffen Records. It was the first Guns N' Roses studio album since the 1993 covers album ''"The Spaghet ...

'' sessions. "Absurd" (known previously as "Silkworms") was performed live four times in 2001, before leaking online in 2018. A snippet of "Hard Skool" was posted online in 2006, with the full version leaking in 2019, under the working title "Jackie Chan". A reworked version of "Absurd" was performed live for the first time on August 3, 2021. It was released as a single three days later, marking the group's first release of new material since the release of ''Chinese Democracy'' in 2008. It was also the first new Guns N' Roses track to feature guitarist

and bassist Duff McKagan since the release of 1994's " Sympathy for the Devil". "Hard Skool" was performed at soundcheck by members of the band on September 16, 2021. It was then released as a single on September 24. The track peaked at number 9 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Mainstream Rock Airplay Mainstream Rock is a music chart in '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations in the United States, a category that combines the formats of active rock and heritage rock. The chart was launched in ...

chart. The official lyric video of the song debuted on '' Good Morning Football'' on December 3, 2021. The ''Hard Skool'' EP was announced on September 25, 2021. Exclusive to the band's online store, it features live versions of "You're Crazy" and " Don't Cry", songs originally released on 1987's '' Appetite for Destruction'' and 1991's '' Use Your Illusion I'', respectively. The EP became available on CD, vinyl and cassette on February 25, 2022. A second 7-inch vinyl version was released June 2022 to the Nightrain fan club. It features "Hard Skool" and a new live version of "Shadow of Your Love".

Reception

'' Classic Rock''s Stephen Hill gave "Absurd" a positive review, noting how the track makes the band "sound genuinely pumped up, aggressive and full of boisterous energy". However, ''

Loudwire ''Loudwire'' is an American online media magazine that covers news of hard rock and heavy metal artists. It is owned by media and entertainment business Townsquare Media. Since its launch in August of 2011, ''Loudwire'' has secured exclusive ...

'' noted a divide among audiences, with some "digging the track" while others "don't seem so into it". "Hard Skool" was more well received, with several publications describing it as "vintage" Guns N' Roses.

Track listing

Charts

References

{{Authority control 2022 EPs Geffen Records EPs Guns N' Roses EPs