On May 4th, Sidgwick & Jackson, an imprint of PanMacmillan Books, will publish W. Axl Rose - The Unauthorized Biography, written by rock journalist Mick Wall, formerly of Kerrang!

The official press release reads:

"Axl Rose is one of rock's most colourful figures and yet his story has never been properly told until now. Mick Wall knew the original line up of GUNS N' ROSES before they were famous and has interviewed them many times. Drawing on exclusive unpublished material he has written a no-holds barred study of the troubled life and turbulent career of the group's singer and leader.

The roots of Axl's behaviour lie in his difficult childhood in Indiana - brought up in a strict Pentecostal household, Axl claims he was abused by his father William Rose and as a teen got into trouble with the police. Escaping to LA he and his fledgling band struggled to survive until they were signed up by Geffen in 1986. The first album, Appetite For Destruction, turned them into stars but the band's decadent lifestyle took its toll - they embarked on a two-year tour that sounded the death knell for the original line-up. As their lives slipped out of control, the original members all left and Axl turned into an increasingly reclusive figure. For the past 13 years he has been working on a long-awaited album, Chinese Democracy, and finally in 2006 has re-emerged into public view as the lastest Guns N' Roses line-up embark on a world tour.

Scrupulously researched and vividly written, W. Axl Rose is an explosive biography of rock's biggest living legend."

The 320 page hardcover edition will retail for £16.99.

It should be noted that this is not the author's first book about Axl Rose. In 1991 Mick Wall penned the unauthorized biography, Guns N’ Roses: The Most Dangerous Band In The World. Axl Rose was so incensed by this that he immortalized Wall in the song 'Get In The Ring' on Use Your Illusion II, referring to the journalist as a "punk in the press, starting shit by printing lies instead of the things we said."

However, IRON MAIDEN on the other hand are fans of Mick Wall, as they selected him to write their authorzied biography, Run To The Hills.