Chinese Democracy by "Guns n Roses" Sorta-Review

Some people might think it unfair me reviewing a Guns 'n' Roses record; considering my outlandish hate for the whole of cock-rock as a genre and everything it stands for. Guess what - fuck off! Just like you're allowed to bash every record I've ever listened to I'm allowed to throw mud at the records that gets your pulse racing and make you feel so damn "alternative".

Thankfully I'm much more objective than most when it comes to music critique and I'll happily give anything a go once in order to offer my opinion. And that's what I intended when I sat down with the most talked about rock record this Christmas, Chinese Democracy.

It's instantly noticable from the start that this is not a Guns 'n' Roses (of whom I will refer to as GnR for convenience purposes from now on) record. No matter how much I hated Axl Roses close-to-irritating vocals on the "popular" GnR records of old I wouldn't replace them for the Marilyn Manson singing we're greeted to as Chinese Democracy swirls and twists it's way into a poor at best title-track. The overproduction that has been used on the record is clear from the off as big beats scatter the mix, whispers add "interest" and a jock-cock guitar riff masks a swirling wind backing. Then the vocals. Low, deep and void of character. I don't think anyone expected amazing musicianship given the copious amounts of session musicians that have been used on this record. You get tight overcompressed beats that exist for existence's sake and a range of guitar-wanking that is devoid of character. Exactly the opposite you'd expect from one of the worlds most highly revered classic rock bands.

The record will take you through a flow of incohesive flavours - from the groove driven Spanish tasting "If The World" to the ballad-based homage of my favourite novel "The Catcher In The Rye". Granted the music flows better when Axl sings more freely and the objective isn't so obviously "write another Welcome To The Jungle". It's these tracks that make you consider why this record wasn't conceived as an Axl Rose solo record instead of trying to live into the GnR name, which while meaning nothing to me sure as hell means a lot to thousands of others out there.

Sadly the likes of "Shacklers Revenge" and "Prostitute" move into the realms of cliche, tired and just downright uninteresting. And the rest of the record is far too inconhesive to ever set a single tone or a mood.

With more tracks like "Catcher In The Rye", "If The World" and "Street Of Dreams" a record branded as a solo Axl Rose could have succeeded. As it is though, Chinese Democracy is a mess of overproduced misdirections and glaringly obvious objectives. The album rarely flows, rarely sets a mood and basically never feels like a Guns 'n' Roses record.

I...need...this...

I've actually heard almost every track with the exception of Catcher in the Rye via leaks in the past 5 or so years. And i love it, too bad you didnt.

Yeah...GNR annoys me. Those damn vocals AHHHH!

I listened to this album today and it sounds like a weird bizzare mix of industrial metal and old school rock vocals at times, its god damned bizzare.

 appetiate for destruction was amazing, illusions were good but this is horrible

Bad album is bad.

sammy, just out of interests sake, would you be able to let me know what your definition of cock-rock is? do you mean like.... 80's hair bands and hardrock bands like poison, bon jovi, skid row, etc etc?

"sammy, just out of interests sake, would you be able to let me know what your definition of cock-rock is? do you mean like.... 80's hair bands and hardrock bands like poison, bon jovi, skid row, etc etc?"