GUNS N' ROSES — Chinese Democracy (review)

GUNS N' ROSES — Chinese Democracy album cover Album · 2008 · Hard Rock Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
Pekka
This album... The album that became a universal joke years and years before its release. So much so that at one point The Offspring announced that since the Guns just can't get it done, they would release an album called Chinese Democracy instead. In the end the work-in-progress album became arguably their worst ever release under the title Splinter, and everyone everywhere was sure that when GnR finally on some decade released their version of the state of Chinese politics, it would be the worst thing released under their name.

But it most definitely is not. What was lost in a loose and lively sound between Appetite and Illusion, multiply that with the years spent recording this one and you'll get a good picture of the sound of this album. It is most definitely rock music, but sounds very programmed and honed to perfection, and admittedly on the track If the World it's pretty straight modern r n' b. But the album takes the new sound and makes it work for the songs, which are all of good quality.

Since the all-brilliant Appetite for Destruction all GnR albums have had a couple of massive peaks and then the other songs. On this album the nominees for the trophy of All Time Best Guns Song are the slow rocking Better and the absolutely brilliant ballad Street of Dreams which is the track most resembling the Illusion-era Guns. Both of them feature wonderful guitar soli from Robin Finck and Buckethead that make me wonder why some people miss that one dude with his big hair and hat. He did wonderful things when he was in the band, but he's not the only good guitarist in the world.

These two songs are head and shoulders above the rest of the material, but they're not the only thing why this is a good album. Tracks like the title track, Catcher in the Rye, Madagascar and This I Love are just as good as most of the better tracks of Illusion I, and the rest are very enjoyable as well. Despite running for over 70 minutes, it doesn't feel that long at all.

Is this the long awaited Guns N' Roses album or the debut of Axl N' the Anonymous Cast O' Nobodies? I won't take sides on that, but do check out the liner notes of the album: 13 of the 14 songs are co-written by Rose and the other band members. Don't think of this as an album by the guy who broke up one of the greatest rock bands ever, but an ordinary album of rock music. You might be positively surprised.
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