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Chinese Democracy review: no holds barred!
The painful truth about Guns N' Roses new album
The MusicRadar Team, Fri 21 Nov 2008, 12:03 pm UTC
After 15 plus years and $13 million spent, Guns N' Roses' Chinese Democracy is finally out on Sunday 23 November. So, what is it really like?
Three MusicRadar staffers (Chris Vinnicombe, Joe Bosso and Michael Leonard) listened to Chinese Democracy separately – so as not to influence each other – and these are our honest opinions of the world's most expensive album ever. We didn't compare opinions before writing.
If you are a diehard Guns N' Roses fan – or Axl Rose himself – you may want to look away now.
Or better still, tell us if we're wrong...
Guns N' Roses' Chinese Democracy: track by track
Chinese Democracy
"A punchy, if over-processed riff drives along nicely. Axl's voice sounds great in the verses, recalling his Appetite-era menace. The shouty choruses might have benefited from a little more melody and the soloing is tedious. But a solid enough opener." CV
"Decent riff, Axl sings okay, but the lead guitars are too much. A stuttering, spluttering mess." ML
"A not-so-bad power chord riff announces 'We're off!' And then...we're not. The chorus is decent, but not memorable. And Axl's voice sounds like an impersonation. The guitar solo is flat and ultimately pointless." JB
Shackler's Revenge
"Is it 1993? Industrial-metal numbness, with guitar solos that sounds like a malfunctioning Nintendo. There's a tune here somewhere, lost in an insane mix." ML
"Hideous intro recalls mid-'90s video game soundtracks, and the industrial flavours are long past their use-by date. A shame because there's a decent tune fighting to get out here." CV
"Whoa, boy. That's some dated video game sounds for you. The guitar solos are literally fighting to be heard amidst the wannabe-techno clutter. Way too much going on here. If there was a song, it's lost." JB
"The guitar solos are mostly horrible. Can somebody call Slash please?"
Better
"The strongest melodies so far. Probably about two minutes too long though and the guitar solos are mostly horrible. Can somebody call Slash please?" CV
"I think this is better. It has a groove of sorts, as opposed to chucking 67 guitars at the problem of not-having-a-song. Best so far." ML
"The best song so far, which might be why it's called Better. Sadly, what could have been a strong tune wears out its welcome. Axl just doesn't know when to stop. Three tracks in and we have yet to hear a killer guitar solo." JB
Street Of Dreams
"The ripple of piano is ominous and it signals Axl entering lighters-aloft stadium ballad mode. Axl's been trying to be Elton John and Queen at the same time since Use Your Illusion."CV
"Overwrought, too many vox overdubs, too many strings, too much of everything. Awful." ML
"Where's the chorus? This is simultaneously too much and too little."
"The piano intro is the kind that is meant to signal 'This is my next November Rain.' Problem is, Axl throws the kitchen sink at us production-wise but he hasn't written a memorable song. Where's the chorus? It's simultaneously too much and too little." JB
User comments (35)
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Red1, firstly, believe it or not, each and every person is entitled to their own view so I hardly feel you can lose respect over one review, which is frankly, erm, what's the word??...right. No in all seriousness, when the dust settles this album will be ridiculed everywhere. It is not a progression it is a mess. Half decent ideas fall to the wayside under a layer of production crap so thick it seems almost to be a parody. This is Nigel Tufnells dream album. Also, Rolling Stone is about the shittiest magazine on the planet, after the NME, though their 4/10 seemed rather generous. It isn't 1987? No you are right...nor is it simultaneously 1997 and 2001 but this album does its best to make it sound like it. Dude, please never call a solo profound. A solo, as much as I enjoy them can never be profound, that is exceptionally pretentious. Pretentiousness, I would hazard a guess, is what led you to call the term nu-metal 'lazy journalism.' It is simply not lazy journalism, it is a genre anyone who likes guitar music knows about, and frankly should hate, and thus a phrase one can associate a sound with immediately. Of course the review could have described it as 'heavily processed, thick and dumb' but that would have been wasting words. It seems to make perfect sense that a vile drink is available with this shitty album, perhaps that cloying sweet taste of Dr Pepper will help take away that taste of shit that I am sure many people will get when they hear this album.
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I've heard the album. Not good. And Dr Pepper can keep their soda!
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BTW Red1, I've recommended some Buckethead in this week's Best Of You Tube feature. But consider the fact that Buckethead actually left GN'R 4 years ago. That's one of the many preposterous things about this album. I wouldn't be surprised if even he doesn't rate what he does on it.
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She's okay - out cleaning my chicken coop at the moment but I'll pass on your regards.
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Ok, you're not Axl Rose... you're Buckethead! How's tricks? And how's Mrs Buckethead?
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The solo's on There Was A Time all add to the build of the song, and the final solo is so beautifully constructed and phrased that it is one of my favourite pieces of work that he has produced and easily more profound than anything Slash would or could have even dreamed of. Most of the key solos are his - although if you care to research, all of the solos on the album have been credited to each player.
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Are you Axl Rose?
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Red1, I am not saying Buckethead has no talent. He's immensely talented. But do his solos (if they mostly are his) on these tracks 'fit' the song? Not to my ears. As I point out, there's talented people all over this record but the sum is a mess. Thanks for respecting me before, at least - I never knew.
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Sorry, I should have said Rollingstone, BBC, Times Online, Entertainment Weekly........ should I go on?
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"At least websites like Rolling Stone recognised the quality in this album."
Don't you mean 'Rolling Stone recognise what they have to do to secure an interview with Axl Rose'? Actually, I bet you a million bucks he's on the next cover.
I salute you musicradar.
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