It's been five and a half years since Guns N' Roses released 'Chinese Democracy,' which is only about nine months in Axl Rose time. But guitarist Richard Fortus thinks the band might release new music soon.

Pressed for information about the next GNR release during his appearance with the group at the Golden Gods Awards, Fortus displayed what some might consider a lack of understanding regarding the way Rose's creative process works, saying, "We are working on stuff and hopefully very soon we're going to have new stuff out...Well, in the next year."

What's behind all this optimism? According to Fortus, the group's upcoming Vegas residency should give everyone time to put the finishing touches on the rumored reams of material Rose has been storing up for years. "We're going to be in Vegas all together, so hopefully during that time we're going to be able to get in a room and start laying down some more stuff," he mused, echoing statements made by fellow GNR guitarist DJ Ashba way back in 2011.

Of course, as fans may recall, Fortus has always been eager to get new Guns music out in the world; last year, he went so far as to say the band's next record was mostly finished. And he's far from the only band member still willing to try and guess if or when Rose will deign to release more material -- Ashba spent 2012 assuring fans that a 'Chinese Democracy' follow-up was their "main priority" and vowing that they were focusing on writing new songs.

Actually, we feel bad for the guys having to answer these questions all the time. The same goes for Metallica, who have resorted to using baseball analogies to chronicle the progress of their long-awaited next studio album.

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