Well, no matter who reads this review, I am sure
on some level there will be people around the world that are going to find
this one to be a little on the bias side! Growing up in Australia you would
be hard pressed to come across a full-blooded Aussie who didn’t know
of AC/DC or any of their
classic iconic rock songs. Australia’s original rock and roll bad
boys have played such an important part in music history and more than thirty
years on they are still influencing rock and metal fans worldwide. I have
to be honest I hate the album cover, with the band announcing that there
would be three collector’s edition covers, I really hoped that they
would be a little more appealing but at the end of the day AC/DC has never
been about how appealing their album covers were, it’s always been
about the Iconic Songs for me and that’s exactly what they have delivered
with their latest album ‘Black Ice’. For the readers out there
who have never been into AC/DC it is easy to say that you will not be a
fan of the band’s latest offering so there is no need for you to bother
going any further. For everyone else out there who has musical taste, than
you are going to love ‘Black Ice’! Released eight years after
the successful ‘Stiff Upper Lip’ album (a record break between
studio albums for the band), ‘Black Ice’ has been compared to
this generation’s ‘Back in Black’ and it’s easy
to see why! ‘Black Ice’ has everything we have come to expect
when it comes to AC/DC. You wanted those classic rip-roaring Angus Young
solo’s… you got ‘em, the rocking rhythm guitar riffs of
Malcolm… you’ve got ‘em! The thumping rhythm section consisting
of drummer Phil Rudd and pounding bassist Cliff Williams will keep those
headbanging Acca-Dacca fans going none stop and Brian’s voice is in
fantastic form. The band recorded and mixed the new album in Vancouver with
the help of Mike Fraser, a man who is no stranger to rock and metal fans
around the world. Mike has worked with some of the biggest names in the
business including Aerosmith, Metallica and Dio. AC/DC continued to pull
out the punches bringing Georgia born Brendan O’Brien into the picture
to produce ‘Black Ice’, and if some of you are wandering why
that name is familiar, yes it is the same guy who worked on killer albums
such as Stone Temple Pilots ‘Core’, Pearl Jam’s ‘Vitalogy’
and Velvet Revolver’s ‘Liberated’. When you mention albums
such as these I guess you start to wonder what AC/DC have in store for us
but I can guarantee you that ‘Black Ice’ is straight up no bullshit
Aussie rock and roll that music lovers around the world will love! With
fifteen songs in total it is hard to pin-point just one stand out track.
To be honest I’d be hard pressed finding any AC/DC album where there
weren’t at least five killer songs, and ‘Black Ice’ is
no different by any measure. Some of the stand out tracks on ‘Black
Ice’ include… ‘Money Made’, ‘War Machine’,
‘She Likes Rock N Roll’, ‘Anything Goes’ and the
bands most recent radio smash ‘Rock N Roll Train’. The band
who recently announced their ‘Black Ice’ worldwide tour are
sure to spend plenty of time right here in Australia mid 2009, playing their
greatest hits and most recent rockin’ tunes! All music lovers are
urged to go and see the band on what will be possibly the band’s last
ever shows. ‘Black Ice’ is an album that must be added to every
rock / metal fans collection. If you don’t enjoy this album than you
shouldn’t be calling yourself a fan!....
Rating: 100
Reviewed By: Cameron Edney
- http://www.myspace.com/insideout666ints |
