A Glint of New Guns N’ Roses on ‘End of Days’

***VARIOUS ARTISTS

“End of Days” soundtrack

Geffen

The rise of a new generation of hard-rockers could well have spelled the end of Axl Rose’s days as anything but a “Behind the Music” nostalgia subject. Rose, though, seems determined to join the pack of Korn, Limp Bizkit et al. And that’s just where he reemerges after a long absence, with his new Guns N’ Roses lineup featured right alongside those younger acts on the soundtrack (in stores Tuesday) to the upcoming apocalyptic Arnold Schwarzenegger thriller.

But great acts don’t just join the pack, they lead it, and the new GNR song, “Oh My God,” provides few revelations about Rose’s prospects of returning to the forefront when he and the band put out their own album. It’s aggressive, but no more sonically distinctive than Korn’s new “Camel Song” (which adds new shadings to the band’s darkness) or Bizkit’s “Crushed” (almost low-key for Fred Durst and crew).

Still, “Oh My God” effectively links GNR’s pre-grunge metal guitars with furious programmed beats. Without pandering to rock-rap fashion, the song isn’t anachronistic among strong hip-hop-rooted contributions by Everlast (another thoughtful examination of societal conflicts) and Eminem (whose “Bad Influence” extends his mythos in a world already gone wrong). And Rose’s raspy wail, love it or hate it, remains an unmistakable instrument that can’t be ignored. It’s not a lot to go on, and it might not represent Rose’s overall new direction, but “Oh My God” at least hints that GNR may indeed be Y2K-ready.

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