There are just 31 days left until the release of the highly anticipated Guns N’ Roses record, Chinese Democracy. The band’s official site contains an up to the second countdown clock to the album’s release. Fans also can get a taste of the title track, “Chinese Democracy,” which is currently streaming on gunsnroses.com.
“Chinese Democracy” The title track of Chinese Democracy begins the album with siren noise, faint Chinese dialogue in the background, pounding toms, and an oriental style guitar buildup that concludes with a heavy three-chord riff. Axl Rose’s vocals then splash into the opening verse like a cannonball orchestrated by a chubby kid at the town pool — they sound buried and are diluted with other vocal tracks. Perhaps, Rose has lost some confidence in his ability from being away for so long. Additionally, lead guitar fills unnecessarily accompany almost every line of the verse. Axl uses his angry voice in the chorus and shouts out lines concerning “ruling with an iron fist;” it is a little difficult to determine the exact lyrics. The guitars aren’t shy to utilize the wah-wah pedal, and the leads, including the solo, are done very well. Rose’s melodies throughout the verses and choruses will most likely stick in the listeners head for the rest of the day. The musicianship is top quality in the realm of hard rock, but the production causes some concern. There is just too much going on within the song, which may potentially aggravate the listener. 7/10
Be sure to give a listen for yourself and let us know what you think of the tune.