Guns N’ Roses have forever see-sawed between singer Axl Rose’s penchant for Elton John-style florid piano/synth rock and a grittier, bombastic hard rock style influenced by their metal and punk forefathers. In an early Christmas gift to their fans on Thursday (Dec. 4), the veteran band stuffed a bit of each into their stockings via a pair of new songs.

The latest in a series of loosies the group has sprinkled out over the past few years, the swooning ballad “Nothin'” brings to mind such GNR classics as “November Rain” and “Don’t Cry,” while the more hard-charging “Atlas” is a straight-on rocker that fans are sure to dive into given the veteran band’s meager studio output over the past 17 years.

“Nothin'” opens with plaintive keyboards as Rose sings “There’s nothing I could see/ That woul

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