Some thought that Chinese Democracy would never be released, seeing as the release date has been changed more times than the band members, but 15 years since the last Guns N’ Roses release, the elusive album has finally made its long overdue entrance.
Seeing as only two members from the original group have managed to survive, it seems unlikely that Chinese Democracy will ever been seen as a classic Guns N’ Roses album such Appetite for Destruction and the Use Your Illusion double album. A few of the ingredients that made Guns N’ Roses famous are still there – intricate piano accompaniments, clever lyrics and it is a surprise that 20 years since the debut album Appetite for Destruction was released, Axl’s voice has lost none of its potency, even though it might make you cringe on the high notes. Chinese Democracy is unsure of its identity. It is torn between the unique sound of the original Guns N’ Roses and what can best be described as a very confused mixed bag of styles. The opening of Scraped sounds similar to a church choir (if a little drunk) whereas In This World sounds like it has come straight out of a Mexican sitcom. Then there’s a complete change of sound with ‘Raid n’ the Bedouins’ which could be the background noise on a space ship. One cannot help but think that this album is a representation of the lead singer’s Axl’s state of mind – lost and extremely confused. It is as if he wants to wipe the old Guns N’ Roses off the face of the earth but at the same time, refuses to give up the ghost. Has Chinese Democracy delivered after 15 years in the making? Not really. It is not a bad record. The songs are catchy and it is definitely shiny and new. However, after nearly two decades of waiting and hoping for a fantastic album, Chinese Democracy is like Christmas – you spend ages waiting for it and when it finally arrives, it not all its cracked up to be. To find out more about Guns N’ Roses, visit http://www.myspace.com/gunsnroses.
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