GNR Releases First “Chinese Democracy” Single

Today, Guns ‘N’ Roses finally released the first single off their long awaited new album “Chinese Democracy”. The song entitled “Chinese Democracy” is hard hitting with the attitude one comes to expect from Guns ‘N’ Roses, yet with a completely different sound.

As of this writing, I still have the initial thrill of hearing a studio version, so I will try to make this review as objective as possible. The main difference in sound is the absence of Slash’s distinct, deep, smooth yet buzzing guitar, which is replaced with the much rarer guitars of what sounds like Buckethead, but I’m not sure considering he quit the band years ago and (like most of Axl’s ex-compatriots) on bad terms.

Listen to the “Chinese Democracy” single after the jump!

As for the rest of the album, over the past few years Axl and “The Axl Rose Fiasco,” as I like to call them, have performed several songs off the new album live. The most notable being ‘Madagascar’ which is the only song that sounds like vintage GNR. It is actually a rockin’ song that slides from soft to hard with ease. Another track, “The Blues” (at least it was called that a few years ago) reminds me of the sound of “Use Your Illusion,” but lacks the back up of the traditional line up.

To be fair the expectations for “Chinese Democracy” are such that it is expected to be either the greatest album ever released or the worst. As a fan, I’m thinking of it as the first album from The Axl Rose Fiasco. For the Axl Rose Fiasco, it’s a strong debut; for Guns N Roses, it probably won’t meet your expectations.