GUNS N ROSES-chinese democracy
March 26th 2009 10:44
It was 14 years in the making. Axl Rose was to save us from all the emo/screamo/bubblegum pop rock that had been flooding our ears in that time. In an age where make up and fashion were more important in rock. Axl would once again return in the spandex bike shorts and bandana to return rock to it's rightful mantle. Back to it's roots of sex, drugs and rock and roll, not eyeliner, fringes and emotion.
14 years the fans have waited. at times it seemed to become this great white elephant and may never see the light of day. The rest of the band quit. A million session musicians came and went including the infamous buckethead. There was the odd show. The rare tour like the one to Australia a few years back. But we waited. growing ever impatient as release dates kept being pushed back. Songs leaked online. We waited. And waited.
Then the day finally came. A month after Metallica's heralded return and AC/DC comeback disc. Chinese Democracy finally dropped. 16 tracks that I had hoped would blow people minds like their debut album and become the record of the year, if not the decade. Maybe I was living on past glories or maybe, just maybe I believed that Axl Rose was not just a nutter but a genius. And that this opus will return him and the band to a legacy status. This was going to save rock n roll.
The trademark signs were day. Ridiculous wanky guitar solo's. Axl's ever present nasal whine of a vocal. But something just lacked. The songs lacked originality, they lacked passion. It was middle of the road. No crunching stadium rock numbers. No soaring ballads. No complex arrangement songs that took the listener on a journey like the Illusion albums. It was all very bland. Maybe the revolving door of guitarists ruined the end sound. Maybe Axl didn't really want to do the album (hence the delay) and it so it came out forced and contrived.
Maybe he really is just a nutter. Let's face it, since the release in November 2008, no one including the record company have heard from him. God know where he is and in the end maybe only he is the one who cares.
A let down after so long a wait. Die hard fans will try to find quality in this release but the cold harsh reality is that Guns n Roses are dead. This is a glorified solo album by Axl and it's crap. If we have to wait another 14 years for another record, so be it.
14 years the fans have waited. at times it seemed to become this great white elephant and may never see the light of day. The rest of the band quit. A million session musicians came and went including the infamous buckethead. There was the odd show. The rare tour like the one to Australia a few years back. But we waited. growing ever impatient as release dates kept being pushed back. Songs leaked online. We waited. And waited.
Then the day finally came. A month after Metallica's heralded return and AC/DC comeback disc. Chinese Democracy finally dropped. 16 tracks that I had hoped would blow people minds like their debut album and become the record of the year, if not the decade. Maybe I was living on past glories or maybe, just maybe I believed that Axl Rose was not just a nutter but a genius. And that this opus will return him and the band to a legacy status. This was going to save rock n roll.
The trademark signs were day. Ridiculous wanky guitar solo's. Axl's ever present nasal whine of a vocal. But something just lacked. The songs lacked originality, they lacked passion. It was middle of the road. No crunching stadium rock numbers. No soaring ballads. No complex arrangement songs that took the listener on a journey like the Illusion albums. It was all very bland. Maybe the revolving door of guitarists ruined the end sound. Maybe Axl didn't really want to do the album (hence the delay) and it so it came out forced and contrived.
A let down after so long a wait. Die hard fans will try to find quality in this release but the cold harsh reality is that Guns n Roses are dead. This is a glorified solo album by Axl and it's crap. If we have to wait another 14 years for another record, so be it.
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