Photo: Press

So it seems that the mooted new Guns N’Roses album might just be happening. Gigwise reported last month that guitarist Richard Fortus had said that band have been “assembling ideas” for a possible new album. Now it looks like they’ve moved another step closer to making it a reality.

Guns N’Roses last released an album in 2008. Chinese Democracy arrived a mere 15 years after the covers album, The Spaghetti Incident, so if one was to come out before the end of the decade, this would represent something resembling a sense of urgency.

The guitarist, who joined original members Axl Rose, guitarist Slash and bassist Duff McKagen, said that the band is “excited” about the prospect of returning to the studio.

Speaking to the St Louis Dispatch, he said: “Everyone is excited about it. There’s a really magical thing now with the band. It feels like a new band. It feels like the best version since I joined, and it’s the most fun for me. There’s so much excitement around it.”

Fortus also explained how he came to join the band. He’d previously worked with Rihanna, The Psychedelic Furs, Thin Lizzy, Love Spit Love and was touring with Enrique Iglesias when he got a call from his friend and former Guns N’Roses bassist Tommy Stinson.

“Enrique was huge, and it was great,” Fortus said. “We were doing three nights at Albert Hall in London. He was at the peak of his game, and the band was killer, but I didn’t want to continue touring with Enrique.

“There’s a big difference between pop music and playing in a rock band... I was eager to get into a rock band again.”

He continued: “I was excited - I was always down to do anything with Tommy. And they were like a dream band. They flew me to LA and had a car waiting to take me to the audition. I hung out with Axl (Rose), talking and listening to music, then flew to Ireland to pick up the rest of the (Iglesias) tour.”

Guns N’Roses kick off the North American leg of their world tour in St Louis later this week.