Guitarist Robin Finck's recent return to Nine Inch Nails [ tickets ] came as a surprise to his previous outfit, Guns N' Roses [ tickets ].

"Robin's plans caught everyone in Guns, as well as our fans, a bit off-guard," GN'R said in a message posted Sunday (4/20) at the group's website. "... Only Robin knows what Robin's doing. ... Neither we, nor management, etc., know any more in this regard and we prefer not to speculate or offer opinions at this time."

Finck, who was a regular member of NIN's touring lineup in the '90s and early '00s, had been recording and touring with GN'R for much of the past decade. Earlier this month, NIN announced that Finck was back in the fold and would be on board for the group's impending summer tour.

GN'R, meanwhile, continues to promise the release of "Chinese Democracy," an album sole original GN'R member Axl Rose has been working on for about a decade.

"We're in negotiations for the release of 'Chinese Democracy' and things are going well," GN'R said in its aforementioned website post. "When we begin to put tour plans together, we'll see where things are. Until then, Robin's touring with NIN and we're working with management on our game plans."

As previously reported, GN'R recently signed with high-powered managers Irving Azoff and Andy Gould.