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At Long Last, Chinese Democracy

15-year wait is over for GN'R fans

By Nick McMaster, Newser Staff

Posted Nov 11, 2008 12:53 PM CST

(Newser) – It’s been 15 years since the last Guns N’ Roses album, but loyal fans can rest assured, Chinese Democracy “sounds a lot like the Guns n' Roses you know,” writes David Fricke for Rolling Stone. Axl Rose and his army of supporting players, from Buckethead to Nine Inch Nails guitarist Robin Finke deliver “unhinged and uncompromising hard-rock,” most similar to 1991’s Use Your Illusion I and II.

But there’s a new audacity to the arrangements, as Chinese Democracy veers from hip-hop beats to strings and mellotron. This bombast reflects the lengthy and painful recording process that literally destroyed the original band in search of ever-expanding instrumentation. "You may debate whether any rock record is worth that extreme self-indulgence,” writes Fricke. “Actually, the most rock & roll thing about Chinese Democracy” is that Axl doesn’t care if you do.

[Images (2)]

[Quotes (1)]

This photo provided by St Martins Press shows Axl Rose of Guns N' Roses during a live performance. (AP Photo/St. Martins Press,Kevin Mazur)

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If this is the Guns n' Roses that Rose kept hearing in his head all this time, it is obvious why two guitars, bass and drums were never going to be enough.
- David Fricke

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At Long Last, Chinese Democracy