Guns N’Roses are "excited" about their new album.
The ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ hitmakers have been rumoured to be working on a follow-up to 2008’s ‘Chinese Democracy’ and guitarist Richard Fortus says the group – which also currently comprises Axl Rose, Slash and Duff McKagen – are in the best place they’ve been in since he joined in 2002.
He told the St Louis Dispatch about the record: "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."
Before joining Guns N’Roses, the 50-year-old musician had worked with the likes of Rihanna, Thin Lizzy, and The Psychadelic Furs and was on tour with Enrique Iglesias when he got a call from his friend, the group’s then-bassist Tommy Stinson, about the possibility of landing his "dream" job.
He recalled: "Enrique was huge, and it was great.
"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.
"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."