Guns N' Roses played "The General" for the first time in the band's history at a show last Thursday, the 2nd, in Los Angeles. Videos of the performance were released online and can be watched at the end of this article.
The song is part of a series of compositions made for the 2008 album Chinese Democracy. Besides "The General," "Hard Skool," "Absurd," and "Perhaps" were also among the songs written during that time.
Sebastian Bach , former vocalist of Skid Row , commented on the song , saying it would be a "sequel to 'Estranged'", released in 1991 on the album Use Your Illusion I.
The singer also spoke about the track in 2007 to Metal Edge: “One of my favorite songs is one called 'The General,' which is so… it’s by far the heaviest metal song I think I’ve ever heard Axl do. It has a slow, intense riff with high-pitched, piercing vocals, screaming vocals.”
