Chinese Democracy track in the beginning, but then, when it kicked in, it was that same dramatic Guns N' Roses hard rock." In mid-2003, Guns N' Roses reportedly started rerecording the album again. An editor from antiMUSIC said Rose told him in June 2003 that "he wants to make sure it is a perfect as possible before it is released". In 2004, Stinson said "Chinese Democracy" was "almost done" and had been delayed by "legal issues" and because Rose wanted to ensure every band member had a say in each song: "It's a lengthy process because you have to get eight people
Chinese Democracy fist holding a star covered by flailing human figures. Photographs of the Hong Kong skyline and the Chinese military also appear in the booklet. The booklet also includes pictures of Rose, Buckethead, Stinson, Pitman, Finck, Fortus, Bumblefoot, Reed, Brain, and Ferrer alongside lyrics to the songs. Rose stated in December 2008 that two alternate booklets were pending release, adding "the artwork has always been something I've been passionate about, and to release the album with unapproved and unseen final artwork with a 1st work only error filled draft when others more recent were readily available still has not been explained."