First of all there can be no Guns 'N' Roses without Slash, Izzy, Duff and even Steven whose sloppy style added to the effect of GnR's masterpiece 'Appetite For Destruction'. 'Chinese Democracy' is an Axl solo album with a bunch of hired hands. I do not consider Dizzy an original Guns 'N' Roses member as he didn't appear until the 'Use Your Illusion' sessions. The title tracks kicks things off in rocking fashion. Then you have the guitar driven mover, "Shackler's Revenge" and album standouts like, "Better", "There Was A Time", "Scraped" and "I.R.S.". It's definitely a good rock album with a nice heavy sound. At times it sounds quite grandiose, with its pianos, orchestral arrangements and keen musicianship. It's even elaborate in its arrangements. But it's quite often fragmented and the songs, if stripped down to their bare bones probably wouldn't be deemed as particularly strong. One can't help think that it's trying too hard at times, like it's been overly over thought over and over again. The vocal performances are disappointing, often a little lost in the mix. That trademark grittiness has been diluted and sometimes you can picture the veins in Axel's neck standing out as he tries to hit notes just that little bit out of his reach. I want to love it! But so much has been expected of it and I was hoping to be blown away immediately, but I'm not. But then it could it ever be as good as the thirteen years of hype that proceeded it?
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