Axl premieres Guns N' Roses album

Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose reportedly premiered the band's long-delayed new album, Chinese Democracy, for a couple of New York City club owners at 5:30 in the morning one day last week. According to the New York Post, Rose, several bandmates and a number of women showed up at Chelsea nightspot Stereo just as the owners were closing up, asking if they could continue celebrating Rose's 44th birthday there. As incentive, Axl offered to let the owners hear the new GN'R disc, which has been some 13 years in the making. The owners agreed, entertaining Rose and his party until 8:00 A.M. as they arguably became the first members of the public to hear the new album in full.

No release date has been set for Chinese Democracy, although Axl recently told Rolling Stone that the record would come out this year.

Former GN'R guitarist Slash recently told the UK media that he has heard through a "very official source" that the album has been completed. He said he's "really excited" to finally hear it, adding, "It's been a long time waiting to see what the next step around the corner was going to be for him (AxlRose)...we were wondering what he was going to be doing."