Review Summary: A spark of life from a band that seemed to reach its end a long time ago.
Guns N’ Roses have always been a band which fueled controversy and conflict, especially their charismatic, albeit somewhat crazy front man Axl Rose. This album was definitely not going to be an exception.
After most of the original members quit the band most people assumed Guns N’ Roses were dead, and for a long time it looked like the sun had set on Guns N’ Roses. Surprisingly after two world tours, dozens of band changes and a couple of misinformed release dates, Guns N’ Roses are officially back!
2008 was a year filled with classic bands trying to recapture their Glory Days. Besides Guns n’ Roses, AC/DC released Black Ice and Metallica unleashed Death Magnetic. Although both of these albums were uninspired they were received fairly well by the bands fan base, mainly because they sound like they are meant too. Chinese Democracy sounds nothing like the original Guns N’ Roses, and in this case it doesn’t help the albums reception.
What I believe we have here is Guns N’ Roses most consistent album, but also an album that doesn’t reach the highs of the Illusions and Appetite for Destruction. There is no bad song on this album, but it rarely reaches the standards set by epics such as Estranged and Coma.
Chinese Democracy opens with its title track, which also comes with an extended intro reminiscence of Welcome to the Jungle. It’s a decent rocker, and also the first single of the album. Here we also get a taste of the layering in Axl’s voice, which will be dominant throughout the album. Shackler’s Revenge and Better follow the title track, and they are both superior to it. They both have a great chorus, which is something lacking in the opener. Better is a song that leaked about two years before the album came out, so as a fan I’ve had an opportunity to follow the development of the track, which lost quite a lot of its heaviness it originally had. It was once a 10, but its declined a bit since its conception.
Street of Dreams and If the world slow down the album a bit, but the former is one of the best ballads any form of Guns N’ Roses have released. It also contains some of Axl’s best verse:
‘What I thought was true before
Were lies I couldn't see
What I thought was beautiful
Is only memories’
There Was A Time is the closest thing to an epic song on the album. Featuring a 2 minutes of brilliant guitar solos, and some great verses, this 6 minute epic will have any rock fan nodding their head in approval. The only thing stopping this track from being a masterpiece is the relatively weak chorus in the latter part of the track.
Unfortunately here the album goes a bit downhill. Catcher in the Rye is another track that had already leaked, and unfortunately the album track is weaker than the original demo, which featured Brian May. As good as Bumblefoot and Finck guitar work is, they don’t hold a candle to May’s solo in this track. A powerful ending to the track almost turns it around, but it still feels like filler. Scraped and Riad pick up the pass again, but neither is particularly noteworthy. Riad does have a good chorus, and is a fun track, Scraped not so much.
Sorry picks up the pass again, containing a good solo and a welcomed change of tone. I.R.S is the only song to feature Axl screeching throughout the song, which works quite well. Unfortunately its lyrics are mediocre and it features a lackluster solo. The chorus is strong though.
The final tracks are all ballads, with Prostitute being the pick of the bunch. It also happens to be the best song on the album. The song has a dark depressing tone, with thought provoking lyrics and a beautiful calm ending that can send shivers down someone’s spine. The song constantly changes pace and tone, making it as unpredictable as the band that composed it.
Track Ratings:
1. "Chinese Democracy" - 6.5/10
2. "Shackler's Revenge" - 7/10
3. "Better" - 8/10
4. "Street of Dreams" - 8.5/10
5. "If the World" - 5.5/10
6. "There Was a Time" - 9/10
7. "Catcher in the Rye" - 6.5/10
8. "Scraped" - 5/10
9. "Riad N' the Bedouins" - 6/10
10. "Sorry" (featuring Sebastian Bach) - 7.5/10
11. "I.R.S." - 6.5/10
12. "Madagascar" - 7/10
13. "This I Love" - 7/10
14. "Prostitute" - 9.5/10
