Guns N' Roses
Chinese Democracy

Meditate on choices. Many told me that, but I've never liked this aspect of life which, sometimes, I find paranoid. Except in some cases. I had decided not to write my review of the album in question because it would have been useless to further provoke detractors, or to entertain the group’s fans.

But, from an in-depth analysis of what has been written about Chinese Democracy everywhere (starting from here and ending with the major American music magazines), I had to acknowledge the fact that nowhere did I find something objective, serious, thoughtful, or better yet, meditated on the album in question.

On one hand, there are those who outright slam it because Guns N’ Roses have always sucked, they’re sellouts, posers, church hall rockers raised by their major’s money. On the other hand, there is a critique from fans and field experts that is far too benevolent, reckless. It seemed to me that, especially from the American specialized press, everything was done to judge (favorably) an album by clinging to characteristics it does not possess. As if there was a need to defend the Guns’ name at all costs, or to safeguard the enormous financial effort behind this work. Some have heard great guitar solos where there’s actually nothing so transcendental. Others praise Axl’s perfect form, almost insisting on the fact that he still has a very good voice. But if the vocal performance in this album is good, why must one clash against the wall of critics to defend it? Or, even better, is there a necessity to convince everyone that Axl is splendid and his voice equally so to sell a record which, given who gave birth to it, doesn’t need to be pushed so hard? The final product is there, it’s audible. I would have preferred if someone had sat down and written something less biased (whichever side that may be) but nothing. Unfortunately, there is an objective, real, living premise to make, that if a music group is so involved in the music-biz, unfortunately, all this unseemly chaos has to be accounted for.

As for me, I bought the bike, put it on the stereo several times, and it always went, without hiccups.

Because Chinese Democracy is a Guns N’ Roses album by style, concept, and craftsmanship. It’s unlistenable to those who say they’re no longer the Guns, this isn’t there, that isn’t there, something else is missing. Those who left the band made a very respectable personal choice. They chose to change. They chose not to be Guns N’ Roses anymore. They chose to be Izzy Stradlin’ and the Ju-Ju Hounds to do country. They chose to be Duff McKagan to do something indefinite and ugly (in my opinion), they chose to be Slash’s Snakepit to do some devilish blues. They chose to be Velvet Revolver to continue making money. Above all, I repeat, they chose not to be Guns N’ Roses, to abandon an almost twenty-year style that in this album hasn’t been lost at all. In fact, it’s been updated, refreshed, revived.

I won’t do a useless track-by-track. All those who wanted to know what the record is like already know and have an idea. I write these lines only to present mine and see if I find someone who wants to reason, in agreement with what I say. Guns N’ Roses today are what they’ve always been. In fact, I think this album finally makes us understand who really is the soul of the band. Critics have at all costs attributed to each member of the band in turn the creative genius of the same. Now, after the purge, Axl remains (and let's not forget Dizzy). Since Axl has managed this album so well and, allow me, naturally in melodies, lyrics, crushing stones with rock, I come to the conclusion that (even despite my dislike because I’ve never completely digested the character) he was and fortunately today is the soul of GN’R.

When it comes to the natural evolution of a group, meaning when Metallica or whoever change genre, and try to make money playing something else, it pisses me off more than the most die-hard fans. Natural evolution belongs to a few. Not to everyone. For the Guns, it is fortunately not about natural evolution, but natural maturation (and this statement can be taken with irony if one thinks about how much time has passed since the last release).

Style, sounds, aggressiveness are those from a time and from the most successful musical episodes. Chinese Democracy stands to It’s So Easy as Street Of Dreams stands to the best melodic episodes of the two Use Your Illusion. Just to be clear. Ryhad N’ The Bedouins could easily live in Appetite For Destruction, There Was A Time is a great rock episode. Great, there’s no denying it. In its genre, it’s a splendid piece, probably the best of the album. There isn’t (damn!), there isn’t all this great guitar solo, but Axl’s talent is there, masterfully crafting wonderful orchestral pieces like this. In its genre, I have to conclude that it’s a masterpiece and nothing, nothing else, can compare. He knows what he’s doing. I can say it now that I’m no longer a kid like 17 years ago.

Chinese Democracy (album) is a sort of compendium of all the good things done by Guns N’ Roses. It’s a perfect work. You might say it’s easy to make a great album with all this time at your disposal. I think sometimes it’s better to take all this time to make a fine work rather than cranking out one or two records a year to keep the image fresh. But since Guns are not just an image, they could afford the luxury of waiting. Waiting for chaos, drugs, deaths, detoxes, fights, misunderstandings, moments when they hit rock bottom, to then produce an exceptional album. It had been years (17 indeed) since I last heard anything like this. Because in this genre, there are only them. I would wait again just to enjoy this much with my ears.

The last note I make on the tracks of Chinese Democracy heard live and in person. The guys know how to play. They know how to handle their instruments, they know how to look for each other, they know how to make room for themselves, they know how to grant the stage to Axl and know how to take it back. Without acting like hysterical fops. They know what they’re doing. For this, I really hope the line-up can remain this, and that nobody feels the shadow of ghosts that are no longer there.

After such a work, the only thing to do is keep the bike moving, around the world.