The Day That Finally Came

November 23rd, 2008 will forever be marked as the day Chinese Democracy was released.

That's right...the album that has been worked on for 14 years and costing over 13 million dollars finally hit store shelves. New Guns N' Roses!

Many people will expect to hear old school Guns N' Roses in this album but if you go in expecting that, you will be sadly disappointed.

It's been 21 years since Appetite for Destruction (the praised Guns N' Roses debut) was released so if Axl Rose put out an album that resembled it, that would just be sad. Axl's grown up and you can tell with this album.

Does the album live up to the hype? What album can live up to 14 years of hype, delays, and controversy? I'll leave that up to you but I can tell you if you go in with an open mind and are a genuine fan of music, you'll like this album.

Some tracks including the title track, Shackler's Revenge, and Riad N' the Bedouins do resemble the attitude of old school Guns N' Roses. However, there's something about the Chinese Democracy tracks that have this new groove to them. It's good to see Axl evolve in his song-writing instead of being stuck in the past.

The ballad-style songs like Street of Dreams and This I Love are really where this album excels. Axl Rose has been documented as a huge Elton John and Queen fan and it really shows. The influence can be seen with a unique Guns N' Roses flair.

Chinese Democracy is an epic album that takes you on a journey. Don't expect to be pulled in upon first listen. I love the album more and more with each listen. Many may call the album over-produced but I'd say it is one of the best sounding albums ever. The mix is perfect!

Fans of GNR will continue to refuse to acknowledge this new version of the band as Guns N' Roses since there's no Slash, Duff, or Izzy Stradlin. Let's face it though...Axl was the attitude of Guns N' Roses and he made the band the "Most Dangerous Band on the Planet" at one point. Besides...with quality guitarists like Buckethead, Robin Finck, and Bumblefoot, Chinese Democracy is FULL of quality guitarists.

Chinese Democracy - 4.5/5