After the prolonged delay of seventeen years and millions of dollars that must've gone into it, Guns N' Roses' sixth studio album, Chinese Democracy, has finally arrived. Pity those who bet on actual democray making it to China before singer Axl Rose (the band's sole remaining original member) allowed this project to see the light of day [:P]

For those who don't know them (if any), here's a quick recap. Guns N' Roses or GnR as we know them, is an American hard rock band, formed in California in 1985. The band, led by frontman and co-founder Axl Rose, has released six studio albums, two EPs and one live album during their career.

Guns N' Roses has sold an estimated 100 million albums worldwide, including over 42 million in the United States. The band's 1987 debut album Appetite for Destruction sold in excess of 28 million copies and reached number one on the United States Billboard 200 in addition to being the second highest selling debut album of all time. The 1991 albums Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II debuted on the two highest spots on the Billboard 200 and have sold a combined 14 million copies in the United States alone. After over a decade of work, the band released their follow-up album, Chinese Democracy, in 2008 (though only a sole member of the original line-up remained i.e. Rose).

Therefore it comes as no surprise that Chinese Democracy was one of the most anticipated records of this year or any year for that matter. A whole generation of rock lovin' fellas like me have literally grown up on Guns N' Roses. It has been the definitive version of what rock means for the better of late 80s and early 90s. The band's unique sound which can be at best described as a fusion of heavy metal, punk rock, blues and good old rock n' roll has won them fans world over. From the legendary riffs spawned by the sheer genius guitaring of Slash to the inspirational song-writing and vocals of Axl Rose, it was brilliance personified.

Fans have long complained about Guns N' Roses still existing in the absence of Slash, Izzy, and even Duff, partially out of their talents, partially out of their iconography, and partially because there's no evidence Axl was an auteur figure who could work without his supporting cast. Judging from the personnel involved in the making of Chinese Democracy-- there were 18 musicians in all, not including orchestra players or the more than 30 who provided engineering and ProTools assistance- it may be more appropriate now to think of Guns N' Roses as a free-floating creative project.

So the question on everyone's mind was, will the new record live up to the massive expectations? And the verdict? Well, its a mixed bag to say the least. Gone are the days of pulse thumping guitar riffs or the soul searching vocals. What comes across is the Axl Rose's leaning towards electronica and pre-fabricated sound. In a lotta ways its not the Guns N' Roses we know. Initially, it's exciting to hear modern rock rendered in such operatic largess, but the album ultimately proves inconsequential, a middle-aged symphony to nowhere.

But amongst the debris of this album what rises like a phoenix is the sheer prodigious talent that Axl Rose still possesses. The talent which has not been diminished by his on-stage antics, drug abuse or (in)famously gigantic and self-destructive ego. Rose is obstinate as ever even at 46, jeering at how meek music has become in his prolonged absence: ''You talk too much/You say I do/Difference is nobody cares about you.'' he brags on ''Sorry.'' Whatever you may think of him, he's the last of his kind. The larger than life kind of individuals who have the power to baffle as well as stun people with the enormity of their art.

Many believe that if it wasn't the greatest album ever released, it would be seen as a complete failure. Chinese Democracy needed to be a spectacle-- something that either validated its tortuous breeding process or a disaster so horribly criticized it would somehow validate Rose as a misunderstood genius. It turns out to be neither and seems like somewhat of a letdown save for Rose's comeback.