A Long Time Coming

Self-indulgence has never felt as good as when it’s in the hands of groups like Queen and Guns N’ Roses. Freddy Mercury may be gone, but Axl Rose has emerged to release the long-awaited Chinese Democracy. Whether it’s an epic song or a CD fifteen years in the making, Rose does it big, but like an old friend, his familiar angst-ridden cry and contempt have been sorely missed.

In a 2006 interview, Rose explained, “It’s a very complex record, I’m trying to do something different”. And he does, going beyond the familiar GNR sound without completely abandoning it. Blissfully loud tracks with a theatrical bent, like the opening title track, coexist with heartfelt ballads like “This I Love.” Boisterous songs like “IRS” and “Madagascar” strut like the GNR from two decades ago, although the latter has sound bytes from Casualties of War and MLK that feel more like an indulgence than content.

“This I Love” is classic GNR connecting with emotional honesty, making just strings, piano and vocals sound like an opera while Rose acknowledges that his sincerity will be doubted, singing “No matter how I try / They say it’s all a lie.”

Impressive guitar shredding abounds on tracks like “Prostitute” and the visceral “Shackler’s Revenge,” but Rose’s vocals often take precedence over complicated, extravagant orchestrations. Vocal heights (many) and depths even happen in the same song, like “Street of Dreams,” which begins with an unconventionally odd baritone and ends with vocal mastery.

Whereas Appetite for Destruction had the grittiness of Sunset Strip clubs and the jaded Use Your Illusion I and II had a communal stadium vibe, Chinese Democracy is harder to relate to, sounding like it was recorded in a vacuum or just a studio with lots of toys. This is likely due to the years of talk about it’s creation which makes it hard to separate what’s behind the scenes from the music. Meanwhile, with so many musicians contributing, it’s hard to identify with any one. There’s been little promotion and no tour to accompany Chinese Democracy so what’s left is just the music. Thankfully, that’s a lot.