Album Review: Guns N' Roses - Chinese Democracy

To put things into perspective, in the same month as Guns N’ Roses release their long-awaited album Chinese Democracy, Stereophonics release their greatest hits Decade in the Sun, a celebration of their six album career, five of which hit #1 in the UK. What’s my point? All this was achieved in five years less than it took to make Chinese Democracy. To say we’re expecting something special would be an understatement…

For anyone unfamiliar with the politics and disputes that have surrounded Guns N’ Roses over the past decade and a half, it is important to understand that this album is not strictly a Guns record. Axl Rose, the sole remaining member of the original Appetite for Destruction line-up, has obtained rights to the name despite the systematic dismissal and departure of each of the founding members. The result of this is an album put together by a motley assortment of characters and hired guns in line with Axl’s musical vision. To understand this record one thing needs to be kept firmly in mind: this is not a nostalgic reminder of the glory days of rock n’ roll; this is a modern hard-rock record.

The musical career of Guns N’ Roses has been characterised by the growing grandeur of their music and stage production, from the humble hard-rock origins of debut Appetite for Destruction to the Axl-penned piano-concerto-infused epics of the Use Your Illusion double album, things were never going to get down-sized where Axl’s musical vision was concerned.

To sum up the sound of the record as a whole, Chinese Democracy can be defined as a formulaic mix of electro-sounding drum loops, soaring vocals, blistering shred lead, all built upon a canvas of sentimental piano hooks and grand orchestral accompaniments; but that would be simplifying things. Equally carved between differing sounds, there is something for everybody on this album. The title track is a straight-forward rocker with a memorable grooving riff and enough attitude to reassure prodigal fans that Axl has not mellowed with age, elements of the Illusion albums are touched upon in the piano-driven Street of Dreams with its romantic notions, whilst the mighty There Was A Time is a hydra of elements, beginning with a reminiscent vocal hook over what could be a hip-hop loop and ending in an epic meltdown of siren-vocals and lyrical lead breaks, definitely the album’s highpoint. The flamenco influenced If the World offers an unusual contrast to Axl’s former works, with a chorus that just screams to become a Bond theme, whilst die-hard head-banging devotees can gorge themselves on the fast-paced Riad N’ the Bedouins and the futuristic Buckethead inspired Shackler’s Revenge, as heard on the Rock Band console game. Penultimate track This I Love is predominantly an elegant piano and vocal solo performance from Axl, with carefully crafted melodies and touching lyrics. "I searched the universe and found myself within her eyes." The album’s only setback is the erratic nature of some of the lead playing, but on an album that has gone through so much production this offers a refreshing contrast, drawing these tracks down from their majesty and back into the hard-rock genre.

After nearly 15 years, what has come to light is a beautiful medley of sounds, neither detached from the monumental works of Guns N’ Roses early career or limited to that genre, Chinese Democracy brings hard-rock into the 21 century with all the grandeur one would expect such a well-attended project to embody. Intelligent and well considered, the devotion of all involved is clearly displayed throughout, Chinese Democracy shows that in a time where everything has been done before’, there are still new avenues to pursue.

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