Looks like it has a release date. For real this time. Best Buy (its exclusive retailer) has a listing for it. And apparently, the first single, Chinese Democracy, was released to radio stations two days ago. I haven't heard it on the radio, but it's streamed at GunsNRoses.com.

I must admit to getting sick and tired of the delays in getting this album out. I was one who truly believed it would never see the light. But even in my skepticism, I always held out the hope that it would be released. i just wanted to hear the new stuff. This is Guns N' Roses after all. Not the Guns N' Roses of my youth. Not the Guns N' Roses with Slash or Duff or even Izzy. And definitely not the Guns N' Roses with an Axl that looks more like Axl than like Carrot Top.

But Chinese Democracy (the song) is good. Good enough that I really, really hope that this album is released in a month so I can hear the rest. It does sound different, make no mistake. This is definitely Guns N' Roses 2.0 (more like 2.10). Axl's banshee wail is absent for the most part in the song (you can hear it a bit in the background), replaced by a growl that most hard rock bands use now. I think I'd prefer the former. But that's really my only beef.