Let me be frank. I wasn’t too optimistic about the new Guns N’ Roses album, Chinese Democracy. After constant delays, numerous lineup changes, and a clamor surrounding the band, I was only slightly curious to see what all the fuss has been about up until now. But, by the time the second track, Shackler’s Revenge, purged the speaker with its hip, futuristic guitar growl nestled sweetly underneath Axl Rose’s surprisingly baritone introduction, I was intrigued, to say the least.
A lot of hype and controversy has surrounded GNR’s first album of original material since 1991. Purists would argue that with Rose as the only original member and without lead guitarist Slash and rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, the band is too far from its original dynamic to produce songs of their previous caliber. I initially sided with that idea, but upon further investigation, I began to doubt that opinion. Wasn’t Slash’s follow-up band, Velvet Revolver, a comparative dud, never producing any memorable moments comparable to the GNR legacy?
And what about the newsworthy title track/single, Chinese Democracy? One thing is definite—Axl Rose has kept his 46-year-old rebellious spirit alive and breathing, as the song Chinese Democracy brings to light the Chinese Communist Party’s massive state-wide persecution of the Falun Gong spiritual meditation practice. Chinese authorities have banned the album throughout China, dubbing the title and content an “attack” on the Party. The CCP was also probably a little unseated with the line, “If your Great Wall rocks, blame yourself.” Kudos, Mr. Rose.
So, what about the content? All the staple GNR moments have gallantly returned with the signature guitar tones, the epic production, and Rose’s unmatchable vocal range which hits the tape in a precise and flavorful fashion.
Every facet of Chinese Democracy is polished—perhaps a little too polished. But looking back to the Use Your Illusion days, so was the production on that record. Andy Wallace, who mixed Nirvana’s Nevermind and a host of others successful albums, was pivotal in constructing a crisp and solid mix that is crystal clear and challenges the listener’s eardrum capacity.
The first three tracks of Chinese Democracy spilled a fierce and heavy cauldron of sonically astute rock and roll energy front and center inside my brain. Better crept up on me with a scratchy cyberpunk intro that hypnotically swelled into the kind of forgotten quality I’ve been looking for in rock and roll as of late—emotion.
The lyrics and arrangements were especially inspiring and fluid leading up to a bridge that was not only a dropkick assault of heavy guitars but also schooled 90 percent of the music I’ve heard in the last year. I was hooked, my body was in motion, and I was mouthing the lyrics all the way until the end.
The album switches gears for the next few tracks in which Axl breaks out the piano along with his Pro Tools, audio workstation. The production-and-effects-layered Street of Dreams and If the World are traditional classic rock, ballad fare, and have a few catchy parts, but they are not the disc’s strongest pieces. Madagascar is a poetic glance about choice and freedom, in which dozens of audio samples paint the landscape of the song.
One thing to be noted about Chinese Democracy is that many of the tracks require more than one swallowing. I was kind of scoff-ish toward This I Love and Catcher and the Rye but after a few listens, I could feel the tracks growing on me like a rosy fungus.
The bottom line is, Chinese Democracy is a unique experience that holds true to the Guns N’ Roses of old and doesn’t fall victim to the doubtful shadows cast from before. One part defiant rocker, one part somber revolutionary, and equal part fresh, magnetic creativity, the new GNR delivers a stellar punch that rivals any of the rock and roll of 2008.
