CD review: Black Ice - AC/DC

The Dominion Post

Last updated 11:09 31/10/2008

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The new AC/DC album, Back in Black - sorry, sorry. The new AC/DC album, Highway to Hell. No, that's not it either. Er, the new AC/DC album, Dirty Deeds?

No, no, it's there above, that's right, Black Ice - the new AC/DC album sounds unmistakably and almost exactly like every other AC/DC album that has been released.

This, of course, is a good thing. If it were any other band, we might bemoan the lack of change, the inability to reinvent, the paucity of musical ideas falling quickly into a wash, rinse, repeat cycle.

But not with Acca Dacca mate! That's what we want, and the opening track, Rock 'n' Roll Train really is about as vintage as you can get.

Phil Rudd is still unflappable in laying down his 4/4 beat, Angus and Malcolm Young are still churning out the sublime three-chord riffs for Angus to peel back a few layers of squalling solo over, and Brian Johnson is still, in most people's eyes, a weak stand-in for Bon Scott.

But hey, he'll do. He's been there for nearly 30 years now, so he might as well carry on.

Yip, Black Ice is business as usual, in the best possible way, meaning that the band's lyrical approach, as ever, is the musical equivalent of a caveman painting.

Johnson indulges his Andy Capp-derived persona with Spoiling for a Fight, and instead of Back in Black, there's Black Ice, instead of The Jack, there's Big Jack, and no fewer than four songs contain "rock" in the title.

Business as usual means that while these are fine songs for workshops the world over and the volume dial having an extra layer of grease smeared across it, boredom kicks in about two-thirds of the way through, as with most AC/DC albums, except for Back in Black and Dirty Deeds.

It's more of a hark back to the rhythm and blues roots than the less interesting albums in the AC/DC canon (Flick of the Switch, Ballbreaker). I'd put it on a par with The Razor's Edge.

The highlights are awesome; the average stuff is, well, average. But this band knows that.

As Johnson said, brilliantly walking the fine line between clever and stupid, "rock'n'roll is rock'n'roll".

* What do you think of Black Ice? Post your comments below.

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45 comments

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simon #45 05:26 pm Jan 28 2009

greatest rock band ever havn't let us down..solid album!

martin #44 05:26 pm Jan 28 2009

Ex Rock Chick may think that rock is for the young only, but it's for the young at heart too these days.Once a musician - always a musician. If it's in the blood then that's it!No escape. Now that the original pioneering rock musicians are getting older the world will learn to accept that all ages can enjoy rock not just the young. Being long in the tooth doesn't have to mean you're a bore any more. Get with it kid.

John #43 05:26 pm Jan 28 2009

Bro don't be stink to people in rocking chairs. You are right, however, about the shoddy comeback album thing.

Allan H #42 05:26 pm Jan 28 2009

Dear Ex Rock Chick,

You clearly have not been to an AC/DC concert recently. If you had, you would have rethought your above comments and now be begging Angus for his forgiveness. AC/DC still performs with just as much energy as the day they started, and this album is no exception.

Your clearly apparent ill informed naivety is what is embarrassing - do yourself a favour and get yourself a ticket to one of the concerts on the world tour, it will most certainly feed the diet that you so longed for as a teenager, and highlight that the best band in the world still has what it takes.

ANWH

shaBOOOM #41 05:26 pm Jan 28 2009

Would love to see these geezers live...Catch you in the moshpit ExRockChick

Nathan #40 05:26 pm Jan 28 2009

I am definitely hanging out for the ACDC collaboration with the NZSO-"Black Tux". Then of course there will be their MTV Unplugged record with Angus on ukelele. It'll be absolutely Ace!!

AC/DC Junkie #39 05:26 pm Jan 28 2009

I don't think people listen to the music very well. I have listened to AC/DC my whole life, and none of their songs are terribly similair. They all have that same basic sound that distinquishes them from others. Other than that every song provides something different. What two songs sound the same? Please somebody tell me. There is nothing wrong with keeping the same bluesy-rock sound that made them popular in the first place. This album sounds like it is straight from the 70s. So come on somebody name two songs that sound the same...

brettney #38 05:26 pm Jan 28 2009

AC/DC is the best band ever! Brian Johnson will never be as good as Bon Scott but he is almost there. I love both, personally. I've been waiting for this album to come out. I bought it 3 days after it came out and have listened to it about 6 times. It is just as good as the old ones.

Hal #37 05:26 pm Jan 28 2009

AC/DC plays AC/DC music. That is what we want as fans, no wussy songs. For AC/DC to change the formula would be suicide. KISS tried to change their music to match what they thought would be popular in the 80's and 90's, the music wasn't kiss and their record sales were poor. Black Ice has sold over 800,000 copies thus far. The numbers don't lie.

G #36 05:26 pm Jan 28 2009

The song that went down the best at Rock 2 Wellington was an Acca Dacca classic... go figure. A band that will continue to dominate. Stop bashing each others opinions yo'al.

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