I heard Chinese Democracy by Guns N Roses today. The album that had been in production for so long (17 years to precise) that it nearly slipped into folklore. Since songwriting began, all of the original members quit the band, except the singer Axl Rose, who has scrapped and rewritten the material numerous times over the past decade and a half. So much so that saying 'When Chinese Democracy comes out' almost came to mean the same as 'When pigs fly'. But now, it's actually here, and the first surprise? It's good.        

   Let me get this straight first, it's no Appetite for Destruction, in fact at times it doesn't feel like a Guns N Roses album at all. If you were to listen to Chinese Democracy expecting an Appetite for Destruction for the 21st century, you'll have to look elsewhere. This is not Guns N Roses, it's a seperate project in it's own right. The creative diversity that could be partially blamed for a rift between Axl and the other band members is present here as it is on efforts of the others, such as Slash's band 'Slash's Snakepit' or the collaboration of 3 of the former members in 'Velvet Revolver'. Axl is an effects junkie, and it is showcased to the highest degree on Chinese Democracy.

   In places it rocks like hell, most notably the title track 'Chinese Democracy' and the dark industrial track 'Shackler's revenge, but for the most part, Chinese Democracy is a very sedated approach on the genre. The majority of the album's tracks are ballads, including the soaring 'Street of Dreams', and the lyrics are much more mature than the Guns of old (whether that's a good thing or not, I'll leave you to decide).

   It's no classic, but it shows that Axl Rose is still here, and he can still sing and write songs over 20 years since the band's classic debut. Some will be disappointed, but those that can see Chinese Democracy for what it truly is, may just enjoy it.