The one thing that makes me still think it could be 96 is that Slash really wasn’t involved much after 1994. He was basically unofficially out long before Axl sent his fax, with only a few sessions and rehearsals here and there in 95 and 96 that it doesn’t seem he was really invested in. Like on your site there’s that one 96 interview where he says he hasn’t even seen Axl in roughly 3 years (before he “rejoined” for that 3 week period in fall 1996 before finally leaving)

Also 1996 as you know is the year where Matt and Duff are quoted multiple times saying Axl has been spending the last few years learning to play guitar, with both praising his level of skill on it. So it could’ve initiated as a riff or idea he worked on

Add in Slash’s last chat before he left where he claimed the material they were working on was Axl’s.

Paul was around and working in the studio with Axl and Dizzy in 96. Slash was barely musically involved. His main musical involvement seems to end in January 1995 with the Zakk Wylde sessions, and then he went off on tour with Snakepit from February to August 1995.

Then in 1996 he was doing shows with Slash’s Bluee Ball, stuff for MJ’s HiStory album, making appearances. His life was very separate from GN’R, even if he was still officially “in the band.”

He said in 1996 he hadn’t seen Axl in roughly 3 years. Basically, he hadn’t seen Axl in the flesh since he went off on tour with Snakepit

The last time Axl and Slash are even fully confirmed to be in the same room, at the same time, for music reasons was when Slash went to try to talk to Axl during the Sympathy sessions in October 1994.

You have Axl’s press release which said Slash hadn’t been involved musically since 1994 outside of a brief “feel period” in 1995.

In September 1996 Slash said he had only been “back in the band” his words, for “three weeks”

It’s certainly possible Paul, Duff etc was coming up with stuff while he was mostly gone. Like Duff did those unasked for demos with Izzy alone for Guns in April 1995, but Izzy had no involvement with Slash or Axl on it.

It was all very fragmented and fractured after Slash did Snakepit and went off on the road.

The cancer statement was in around 2012 or 2013. It was sometime post 2010

This was his 2002 press release, portion regarding Slash

“Originally I intended to do more of an Appetite style recording but with the changes in the band's dynamics and the band's musical influences at the time it didn't appear realistic. So, I opted for what I thought would or should've made the band and especially Slash very happy. Basically I was interested in making a Slash record with some contributions from everybody else. There'd still be some chemistry and some synergy happening and whatever dynamics anyone else could bring in to the project. It seemed to me that anytime we got close to something that would work, it wasn't out of opinion that Slash would go ‘hey it doesn't work', but it was nixed simply because it did work. In other words, ‘Whoa, wait a minute. That actually might be successful, we can't do that.' People like to call me paranoid. It has nothing to do with paranoia; it was to do with reality. If the material were strong enough for me to sink my teeth in then I would still be in a certain public position in regards to Guns, we'd have possibly still held a certain popularity with the public as I have previously been fortunate enough to have had. Slash and his ex-wife Renee and his security guy and closest confidant at the time, Ronnie Stalnacker could not live with that. It's not something Slash could live with. Slash chose not to be here over control issues.

"Now people can say ‘Well Axl, you're after control of the band too.' You're damn skippy. That's right. I am the one held responsible since day one. When it comes to Guns n' Roses, I may not always get everything right but I do have a good idea about getting things from point A to point B and knowing what the job is that we have to do. Within those parameters, I give everyone as much freedom to do what they want something Slash has verified in several interviews. Had Slash stepped up and written what we captured glimpses of, it would have created an environment that was beyond Slash's ability to control. He did not want to do that or put himself through the rigors of taking the band to that level even if he was capable of writing it. Was he capable of doing it? Absolutely 100%. I think that some of the riffs that were coming out of him were the meanest, most contemporary, bluesiest, rocking thing since Aerosmith's Rocks. The 2000 version of Aerosmith Rocks or the 1996 Aerosmith Rocks by the time we would have put it out. I don't know if I would have wanted to even do a world tour at the time but I wanted to put that record together and could we have done it? Yes. It's not something I would want to approach (without Slash) because at the time there was only one person that I knew who could do certain riffs that way. We still needed the collaboration of the band as a whole to write the best songs.

"Since none of that happened, that's the reason why that material got scrapped. If one were to say well then why not do it now there are several reasons.1) My band, too much time, too much effort and hardship. Confidence in our material. Excitement in watching this grow and being a part of the whole experience. 2) Money. You get what you play for and nothing's free. Can you cover the cost of this venture and its financial potential that I am just supposed to walk away from and for what? To where? I do not believe in any true effort or potential regarding most of my past relationship from the other party or parties, creatively or emotionally. Without that the money from a reunion doesn't mean much and though I'm sure the alumni is up for it for me it would be as or more lacking than it was during our attempts to work together previously. As a friend and former friend of Slash said to me in regards to working with Slash, "you can only do so many pull ups." This is my shot and you can root for me to fail all you want, but there is simply way too much put into this to cater to someone else's selfish needs and destroy peoples dreams I truly care about including my own. Not too mention that though I've fought what feels like the heart of the nature of this entire industry, my own people would probably eat me alive if I opted for a lesser course. 3) Slash has lied about nearly everything and anything to nearly everyone and anyone. It's who he is. It's what he does. Duff's support for the man though understandable in one sense in regard to his circumstances, is inexcusable, and furthers my distance from the two of them. For me Matt doesn't figure into the equation and for as much as I was a friend to him he was incapable of reciprocating and life is much better without such an obvious albatross. Don't get me wrong, I'm not taking anything away from the alumni in regard to their prior performances on record or touring to support the albums. I know how I was treated and more importantly I know how they treated others during both of these things, it's not a way anyone should be forced or even asked to work. And for the record I'm referring to Slash and Matt in regards to their actions and behavior, Duff played more of a supporting role (for reasons I've never understood). For the fans to attempt to condemn me to relationships even only professional with any of these men is a prison sentence and something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. I'd say my parole is nearly over. I'm practically a free man and if you don't like it you'll have plenty of time to get used to the idea."

The main structure is very Slash-like, very classic Guns. Only the pre riff intro (which was removed) and verse riffing and the  outro tapping/shredding are Paul/Finck staples. The main structure and riff is very much like a Slash riff, especially if you consider his stuff from 95-2000

Also, HS was credited to Axl, Slash, Duff, Paul, Robin, Tommy. No BH credit on HS.

Per Marc Canter, Axl has indicated back in 2001 that there were 3 songs Axl wanted to have Slash be on on CD, if Slash would publicly apologize and repudiate statements Axl felt were lies. So in 2000-2001 his feelings hadn’t really turned to the visceral hatred for Slash that they did by 2008. Slash’s book, the 2005 visit, and I’m sure other things we don’t know about behind the scenes did a lot to harden his feelings more after 2001. If you go back and read his RS interview from 2000, he sounds more regretful/sad than hateful regarding Slash.