Allow me to start with a question…When within the same year Metallica, AC/DC, Judas Priest, Motorhead, Whitesnake, Queen release a new studio album and Guns N’ Roses just complete the puzzle, does that take you like many years back?? I personally recalled the good old times when the charts were full of rock bands and the media were very friendly to them. Anyway, this was only a nostalgic flashback by Solid Rock…

So, Guns N’ Roses…or should we say Axl Rose and his gang? 17 years after “Use Your Illusion I & II” and just a little time after their live appearance here in Greece, “Chinese Democracy” comes out and that is probably one of the most anticipated albums in the history of music. Now, did it worth it? I think that the whole fuss around this album can turn it legendary. My first estimation is that we actually deal with a solo Axl project rather than a Guns record. To be more specific, this album doesn’t have that pure sleaze-glam feeling that “Appetite” had or the “explosive” compositions that the “Illussions” had but it is definitely not uninspired. For one thing, Axl has worked on this album for more than 14 years. First of all, his voice sounds in a great shape. Secondly, the production is simply outstanding. As far as the musical part, there are 14 tracks with several experimental moments and that makes the whole effort “modern”. The more pop direction of tracks such as “There was a time” and “If the world” for instance sound good to me, as well as the ballad “Sorry” with Sebastian Bach in backing vocals and some “suspicious” as one could detect hints for ex members…anyway!!! We also have a powerful and fast threesome consisted of the tracks “Chinese democracy”, “Shackler’s revenge” and “Better”. A big moment of the album is “This I Love”, a piano ballad that will definitely remind you of the good old times. Also, “Madagascar” is a song that could easily fit one of the two Illusion albums with its “Estranged” logic. It is definitely not an uneven album although it has some boring moments like “Catcher in the rye” and “Riad ‘n’ the Beduins”. Also, as far as performances there are no lack in any case - how could they when for example many of the guitars are played by Buckethead- although Axl’s only connection to the past is Dizzy Reed’s participation in the album and Izzy’s name within his personal credits.

To end this review, I believe that whoever gets this album he will definitely come up with the conclusion that Guns N’ Roses wasn’t only Axl. But we already knew that, didn’t we? I think that the album is necessary to each one of us not only in order to own the complete discography but mostly in order to appreciate an artist 17 years older than his last complete studio appearance. Let’s be honest…if he released something like “Appetite” or the two “Illusions”, I believe that would be the biggest derision to do…