Chinese Democracy by Guns N' Roses

In that time, almost every original or longtime member of the band has left to pursue other projects. Driven away (reportedly at least in part) by the personal peculiarities of lead singer Axl Rose, GN'R's legendary lead guitarist Slash, punk rock bassist Duff McKagan, drummer Matt Sorum (formerly of the Cult), and rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin have all defected to other groups or solo projects.

The only long-standing member remaining, aside from Rose, is keyboardist Dizzy Reed.

The band's first full-length release, Appetite for Destruction, showcased the powerful pop metal for which Guns N' Roses is best remembered. Singles such as "Sweet Child O' Mine" and "Paradise City" bring the hook-filled, listenable songwriting that put GN'R on top of the Sunset Strip heap of similar acts such as Ratt, Poison, and Skid Row.

However, as Rose became more influential in the songwriting and recording processes, the rock became less pop-centric and more progressive. The double album Use Your Illusion gave the listening public a more ambitious and artistic Guns N' Roses. "November Rain" contains the longest guitar solo ever heard on radio airwaves, and "Civil War" is a commentary on the history of political protest and the peace movement. Finally, the band recorded two unforgettable covers, Paul McCartney's "Live and Let Die" and Bob Dylan's "Knockin' on Heaven's Door."

Chinese Democracy represents the first original material from the band since those days, and in the ensuing years, Axl Rose has entirely taken over songwriting for the group. As a result, the "it" factor of Guns N' Roses' earliest singles, which combined traditional blues-based rock, 1980s metal sensibilities, and a certain amount of punk awareness for instant, hook-filled catchiness, has all but disappeared. In its place is a powerful, progressive sound that's more grand and ambitious than anything attempted on either of the Use Your Illusion albums.

The musical stylings of Chinese Democracy are more varied than anything Guns N' Roses has offered to date. Various tracks are informed by elements as diverse as industrial dance anthems, straight-up metal, early 1960s rhythm and blues, 1970s funk (and a related, derivative techno sound), classic rock (Rose, a longtime Freddy Mercury fan, mentioned that he intended some of the arrangements to be Queen-like), and some piano-driven singer-songwriter sounds, too.

The song structures are also more complex than one usually hears on a radio-friendly single. The traditional AABA, verse-chorus-verse with a middle eight is all but abandoned here. Instead, Rose fills Chinese Democracy with complicated and fascinating intros, variations, and alterations of structures.

Best of all, the guitars, which are often layered with four or five players on a single track, have a powerful place on this record. The quality of the solos is a subject best left to the experts at Guitar Player, but the rhythm guitar work is stellar, calling to mind the caliber of rhythm work executed by Hendrix on his songs. Dynamic, intricate arrangements and great studio work bring the guitars to the front of the mix and the listener's mind, delivering the goods on the most important aspect of any rock album.

And as a final word on the musical aspects of the record, if Axl Rose has aged a day or lost even the slightest bit of range or energy, you won't hear it here. The vocals are alive, electric, edgy, and will doubtless serve as a reminder that at least one of the factors that made GN'R great in the first place remains perfectly intact.

The lyrical story is entirely a product of Axl Rose's personal and professional experience. It tells of a single human being at odds with the world. The story is one of persecution, confrontation, defiance, and tenacity.

Stand-out tracks include "Scraped," which begins a cappela, Rose displaying his impressive vocal range, which covers his trademark countertenor as well as a deeper baritone sound. The ear-catching opening gives way to driving chords from bottom-heavy, wall-of-sound guitars and a single-worthy melodic structure. "Riad N' the Bedoins" is a spectacular track, showcasing heavy, multi-layered speed and rich sonic depth (thanks to killer instrumentation) through unexpected, exhilarating chord progressions. Another particularly catchy number is "I.R.S."

All in all, the songs are modern and relevant without being a complete departure from the Guns N' Roses the public knows. Chinese Democracy is a product of the era that gave birth to Sunset Strip hair metal just as it is informed by the musical trends that have characterized the years before and after Guns N' Roses' heyday.