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- Play.com Review
After fifteen long years of speculation, rumours, and disappointment, the one-time "most dangerous band in the world" finally reward their fans' patience with the release of Chinese Democracy. Guns N' Roses' fifth full-length studio album of original material is an uncompromising, fully-focused, hard rock monster that brings the rockers' early sound alive with modern day stylistics.
Title track 'Chinese Democracy' opens the album in grandiose style. A montage of sirens and Chinese dialogue rise as the track bursts into life with a riff of speaker-endangering proportions and Axl Rose's trademark falsetto squeal. Keeping Guns N' Roses familiar sound intact with ferocious riffs, Chinese Democracy throws in grinding industrial rock and keys-and-strings balladry for good measure. While the stabbing-dagger licks of 'Riad N' The Bedouins' and looping squeals of 'Street of Dreams' offer an Appetite For Destruction fuzz, 'There Was A Time' reverts away from the band's previous raw sound with a delicately structured style that incorporates new-found techniques with wah-wah guitars, a full-strength choir, and Axl Rose's overdubbed sour-growl harmonies. Incorporating a vast array of movements, themes, and motifs, Chinese Democracy offers a scattergun approach to song structure that packs the maximum punch per pound.
Despite frontman and mastermind Axl Rose being the sole remaining founder member of Guns N' Roses, the music sounds much as it did back in the band's glory days: it is massively produced, bluesy rock with a decidedly misanthropic vibe. But with the added accompaniment of new techniques and sounds developed over its fifteen year construction, Chinese Democracy has become an audacious, unhinged, and uncompromising hard rock record that marks a triumphant return to form for one of history's greatest rock bands.
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- Chinese Democracy
- Shackler's Revenge
- Better
- Street Of Dreams
- If The World
- There Was A Time
- Catcher N' The Rye
- Scraped
- Riad N' The Bedouins
- Sorry
- I.R.S.
- Madagascar
- This I Love
- Prostitute
Average rating (170 reviews)
some of these reviews are unfair
ParkerXL | 02/05/2009 | See all ParkerXL's reviews (1) »
Takes some getting into but superb
kingmonkeytrading | 04/04/2009 | See all kingmonkeytrading's reviews (7) »
I find that the albums with the most longevity are those that you need to listen to a few times before getting into them. No real instantly catchy G'n'R tunes here but this is not the original guns and roses as we all know them. This is Axl roses baby, hes been nurturing it for the past decade and thankfully it has now been set free after much anticipation. Please dont put it on, listen to it once and say 'thats a load of crap, nothing like GNR'. Yes true there are no Sweet child moments on here but this really is a well constructed and heartfelt album from Axl, showing his true credentials as a song writer. Remember it was always gonna be difficult without a slash in your band knocking out some killer riffs. Lyrically this is still a masterpiece as to be expected from the ginger Rose.
Please listen a few times before deciding if you like it!
boondog | 24/03/2009 | See all boondog's reviews (2) »
In a way, I didn't want to like this album. I thought GnR at their height in the late 80s / early 90s were awesome and their albums have stood the test of time. I thought there was a high risk this new album would tarnish this legacy, both because of the passing of time and the absence of Slash, Duff et al. And because of that, I didn't think it should have been made and didn't want to like it.
And on the first listening I thought my fears were justified, I didn't think it was much good. But this album grows on you like you wouldn't believe. A few listens on and I've got to say it's amazing - great songs - particularly IRS, Madagacar, Shackler's Revenge, Better - well, most of them in fact.
It will never be a "cool" album in the same way GnR albums were in their heyday. Albums from ageing rockstars rarely are. And it is self indulgent - as you'd expect from Axl. But who cares?! Great album, give it a go.
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- 1987-1993: Live Era (2CD)
- Appetite For Destruction
- Appetite For Destruction/Gnr Lies (European Import) (3CD)
- Collector's Box
- Collector's Box (3CD)
- G N' R Lies
- Greatest Hits
- Guns N' Roses X-posed
- Lies/Appetite For Destruction (European Import)
- Maximum Guns N' Roses
- Spaghetti Incident?
- The Document (CD & DVD)
- Use Your Illusion Vol 1
- Use Your Illusion Vol 2
