The Never-Ending Saga of Chinese Democracy, Guns n' Roses-Style

Two weeks ago, we got the closest thing to an actual release of Chinese Democracy. Nine songs, three of them previously unheard, all mastered, surfaced onto the internet. While Kevin Skwerl and his blog Antiquiet, the source of the leak, gave no details as to the place of their origin, he did claim the songs were in fact the real McCoy - nine tracks from the Guns N' Roses project now nearly 15 years in the making.

Skeptics of the leak were silenced within the first thirty seconds as the still remarkable vocals of Axl Rose made their first appearance on Better, a song purported to be the album's first single. Each of the following eight songs are equally GNR-friendly, full of epic guitar solos, rocking melodies, and the band's notorious frontman presented front and center. There's no doubt about it. This is indeed Guns N' Roses we hear, performing songs most likely from Chinese Democracy. And to say these tracks were worth the wait would be an understatement.

But even considering all of this, will we actually ever see an official release of the band's sixth studio album?

Only time will tell.

The story of Chinese Democracy dates back to 1994. Well, technically that's when Axl started thinking about it. However, by 1996, Slash, drummer Matt Sorum, and bassist Duff McKagan had all left the band, leaving Rose as the only remaining original member. Over the next few years, the frontman pieced together a new band of long-time friends and associates, most notably featuring ex-Replacements bassist Tommy Stinson and Nine Inch Nail's Robin Finck. Yet the much-awaited Chinese Democracy never appeared.

As years passed and band's lineup continued to change, the status of the album remained the same - up in the air. In 2001, after nearly seven years, Axl and his latest reincarnation of Guns N' Roses finally returned to the stage for the first leg of the Chinese Democracy Tour, leading to much hope and speculation that the release of album was imminent. Over the next year, vocal chords were blown, shows were canceled, riots ensued, and by 2002, Axl once again found himself with a band surrounded by questions. In the end, it was a hiatus, not the date of an album release was ultimately announced.

Since then, Rose and GNR have made sporadic live appearances, all as part of a tour (now in its seventh year) for the yet-to-be released album. Numerous reasons have been cited for the album's delay, ranging from Rose's perfectionist attitude to the firing of manager Merck Mercuriadis in 2006. Yet the excuses never came with additional details. "One day" was the release date, "some songs" composed the tracklist.

On February 22, 2007, road manager Del James wrote the following on the band's official website:

The good news is that all of the recording for the album has been completed. Drummer Frank Ferrer and guitarist Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal integrated themselves into the recordings seamlessly and will have their presence felt.

The news came with no release date, instead noting that the album was now in its "mixing" stage.

As the calender turned to 2008, buzz surrounding Chinese Democracy began to grow. Manager Beta Lebeis confirmed the album was officially completed and Guns n' Roses were now negotiating with labels over its release. Dr. Pepper responded offering everyone in America a free can of soda on the date the album hit music shelves. Axl could even be found entertaining ideas for a reality show.

Then that fateful day of June 18, 2008 arrived. Nine mastered tracks of Chinese Democracy were leaked onto the internet. While not the first time pieces of the album had illegally made their way to the ears of fans, the leak saw the most extensive 'release' of the album to date. Axl remained quiet, letting a FBI investigation do his talk. Regardless of the circumstances, people listened, reviews surfaced, and by now, many have heard Guns N' Roses latest musical project.

While reception toward the album has been extremely positive, the band has kept mum, offering neither a response, nor new details as when to an actual release may come about. Of course, there are rumors, Amazon.co.uk. even has the album listed with an August 25 release date. But until Axl speaks, until Chinese Democracy is actually in our hands, the actuality that we see its physical release is just as unknown as it has always been.

Guns n' Roses' sixth studio is now in its fifteenth year in the making. As of March 2005, it has cost a reported $13 million to make. Thesis papers have been written about it, websites are dedicated to it. The saga of Chinese Democracy has evolved into one of the most interesting stories in the world of rock 'n roll.

And yet Axl waits.

But how much more can we take? How much longer will we wait? How much more money are labels willing shell out? Eventually, whether a year, five, or even ten years down the road, we'll lose interest. And then what?

The wait needs to end.

Unfortunately, Axl is probably the only person who fails to realize this.