| Angus Young interview on Triple M |
| Brian Johnson interview on Triple M |
| Angus Young interview on Swiss TV, pt.2 |
| Angus Young interview on Swiss TV, pt. 1 |
AC/DC's first new material in eight years doesn't miss a beat
AC/DC, Black Ice, Columbia, acdc.com
Good, basic rock and roll is quite possibly the toughest of all art forms to belt out with any level of
consistency. AC/DC has managed to purvey simplicity, seemingly, since the beginning of time. This
time around, however, The Thunder From Down Under has undertaken the task of unleashing its
trademark "pub rock" as if the very existence of rock and roll depended upon it.
Black Ice is the Aussie quintet's first offering of new material in eight years and only its third since
1990's hugely successful The Razors Edge. A lot has changed with the music industry in that time.
Trends have come and gone, MTV has quit playing music videos and the no-frills rock and roll which
the band helped to redefine in the late 70s/early 80s has been relegated, for the most part, to
"classic rock" radio. It would seem that now, more than ever, the world needs AC/DC to step up
with something special.
To set the record straight, AC/DC is the only band in rock and roll history to have never put out a
lame album. Recent efforts (by this, I refer to 1995's Ballbreaker and Stiff Upper Lip from 2000)
were good but not great. That's why the surfacing of "Rock n' Roll Train," the lead single, sent
shock waves around the rock community. It's hard to put a finger on what it is that makes "Train"
pop, and it wasn't until I had the chance to experience a full-on spin of an advance copy of Black Ice
that the album's magic started to surface.
First off, there's an overall catchiness that runs throughout the album's 15 songs. I don't mean a
"hey, that sounds good" catchiness... I’m referring to the kind where the tunes replay in your head
as you drive down the road and the stereo isn’t even on. "Big Jack," "War Machine" and "She Likes
Rock n' Roll" lead the charge for a bevy of tunes which sound like they were written specifically with
a concert audience in mind.
Next (and AC/DC has long been the masters of this), the instrumentation is so clean that it sounds
blatantly dirty. Credit producer Brendan O'Brien for capturing an ambience which recalls the panache
of the Highway to Hell / Back in Black era. Again, it's not that the songs themselves have gone
through a metamorphosis – guitarist Angus Young has stated time and again that the band continues to
make the same album, and that certainly hasn't changed. Instead, both band and producer have
examined the underlying intricacies which make a good riff or hook come alive - check out Cliff
Williams' bass line on "Skies on Fire" for proof of the difference between ordinary and extraordinary.
The zen-like guitar interaction between Angus and brother Malcolm has long been a staple to the
AC/DC blueprint, and it's abundant here. The midpoint of Black Ice was apparently reserved for the
duo to rip it out and give a good old-fashioned schooling on how boogie-rock is to be played. "Spoilin'
For a Fight," "Wheels" and "Decibel" find the siblings dueling all Stones-like, building each to a
familiar fevered pace. The honky-tonk flavor of "Stormy May Day" gives an aural aroma that’s
downright meaty, complete with slide guitar work which recalls the band's deeply-seeded delta-blues
roots.
Black Ice is far from a guitars-only showcase. Phil Rudd proves, once again, why he is rock's
steadiest drummer - nothing fancy, no muscle-bound fills... just the beat. Also, Brian Johnson's
vocals haven't sounded this good in over twenty years, which is a sigh of relief given his demanding
style (not to mention that he's, er, 60ish).
The bottom line is that Black Ice is a solid disc which sounds good from start to finish - no skipping
around necessary. Given that a 15-song presentation would've darn near been a double album back in
the day, that's pretty big doings. Also, consider that early on comments have referred to this set
as "Back in" Black Ice... 'nuff said.
Thirty-four years and counting, AC/DC remains true to its pub-rock style as if it were written in
stone. There are still no power ballads or other noodlings into the posture of the week, and Angus
still wears his schoolboy outfit. We wouldn't have it any other way, either. AC/DC may not be out
to save the world, per se, but it certainly makes the world a better place to be.
AC/DC, Black Ice, Columbia, acdc.com
Good, basic rock and roll is quite possibly the toughest of all art forms to belt out with any level of
consistency. AC/DC has managed to purvey simplicity, seemingly, since the beginning of time. This
time around, however, The Thunder From Down Under has undertaken the task of unleashing its
trademark "pub rock" as if the very existence of rock and roll depended upon it.
Black Ice is the Aussie quintet's first offering of new material in eight years and only its third since
1990's hugely successful The Razors Edge. A lot has changed with the music industry in that time.
Trends have come and gone, MTV has quit playing music videos and the no-frills rock and roll which
the band helped to redefine in the late 70s/early 80s has been relegated, for the most part, to
"classic rock" radio. It would seem that now, more than ever, the world needs AC/DC to step up
with something special.
To set the record straight, AC/DC is the only band in rock and roll history to have never put out a
lame album. Recent efforts (by this, I refer to 1995's Ballbreaker and Stiff Upper Lip from 2000)
were good but not great. That's why the surfacing of "Rock n' Roll Train," the lead single, sent
shock waves around the rock community. It's hard to put a finger on what it is that makes "Train"
pop, and it wasn't until I had the chance to experience a full-on spin of an advance copy of Black Ice
that the album's magic started to surface.
First off, there's an overall catchiness that runs throughout the album's 15 songs. I don't mean a
"hey, that sounds good" catchiness... I’m referring to the kind where the tunes replay in your head
as you drive down the road and the stereo isn’t even on. "Big Jack," "War Machine" and "She Likes
Rock n' Roll" lead the charge for a bevy of tunes which sound like they were written specifically with
a concert audience in mind.
Next (and AC/DC has long been the masters of this), the instrumentation is so clean that it sounds
blatantly dirty. Credit producer Brendan O'Brien for capturing an ambience which recalls the panache
of the Highway to Hell / Back in Black era. Again, it's not that the songs themselves have gone
through a metamorphosis – guitarist Angus Young has stated time and again that the band continues to
make the same album, and that certainly hasn't changed. Instead, both band and producer have
examined the underlying intricacies which make a good riff or hook come alive - check out Cliff
Williams' bass line on "Skies on Fire" for proof of the difference between ordinary and extraordinary.
The zen-like guitar interaction between Angus and brother Malcolm has long been a staple to the
AC/DC blueprint, and it's abundant here. The midpoint of Black Ice was apparently reserved for the
duo to rip it out and give a good old-fashioned schooling on how boogie-rock is to be played. "Spoilin'
For a Fight," "Wheels" and "Decibel" find the siblings dueling all Stones-like, building each to a
familiar fevered pace. The honky-tonk flavor of "Stormy May Day" gives an aural aroma that’s
downright meaty, complete with slide guitar work which recalls the band's deeply-seeded delta-blues
roots.
Black Ice is far from a guitars-only showcase. Phil Rudd proves, once again, why he is rock's
steadiest drummer - nothing fancy, no muscle-bound fills... just the beat. Also, Brian Johnson's
vocals haven't sounded this good in over twenty years, which is a sigh of relief given his demanding
style (not to mention that he's, er, 60ish).
The bottom line is that Black Ice is a solid disc which sounds good from start to finish - no skipping
around necessary. Given that a 15-song presentation would've darn near been a double album back in
the day, that's pretty big doings. Also, consider that early on comments have referred to this set
as "Back in" Black Ice... 'nuff said.
Thirty-four years and counting, AC/DC remains true to its pub-rock style as if it were written in
stone. There are still no power ballads or other noodlings into the posture of the week, and Angus
still wears his schoolboy outfit. We wouldn't have it any other way, either. AC/DC may not be out
to save the world, per se, but it certainly makes the world a better place to be.