Black Ice (Deluxe) [Collector's Edition]

 

 

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Rock N' Roll...with an edge

With an 8 year absence of any new studio recording AC/DC fans have had to make do with DVD's of rare footage, most of which your average hardcore AC/DC fan already has. To hear Black Ice is refreshing. For a while Aussie unknowns, Airbourne, were taking over the kings of Aussie pub rock. Not now.

Black Ice has the usual riffs, drumbeats, heavy bass lines and screeching vocals that accompany any AC/DC record, production wise it's infallible, Brendan O'Brien did a great job and deserves a mention as do the vocals of Brian Johnson.

Track by track

1: Rock N Roll Train.
Released a few weeks ago as a single, typical AC/DC, simple and foot stomping. By no means the strongest cut on the album but for marketing 'Rock N' Roll train will probably see shops stocking miniature trains with the AC/DC logo emblazoned on the side. Hey, I'm a cynic.

2: Skies On Fire
The harmony in this is what one would expect of Cliff and Malcolm, 'SKIES ON FYYYYY YERRRR'. A mid-tempo beat which kind of gets going as it approaches its end. Brian excels with the vocals with Phil keeping things tight behind the skins.

3: Big Jack
This oozes rhythm, almost like a train rolling along, touches of Rock N' Roll Damnation. An anthemic chorus that the kids [40 years plus] will love to sing along to at the up and coming gigs.

4: Anything Goes
There are a lot of hardcore fans I know that are kind of split with this song. Personally, I think it's the best on the album. It's AC/DC meets Nazareth meets The Darkness meets 80's rock. Brian sings along Springsteen [Born in the USA] style while Phil beats the skins. It has a good feel factor about it and for some reason a Christmassy type of feel to it. Many will want to play it over and over, some will want to skip it after it's first listen. I like it... I like it a lot.

5: War Machine
Surprisingly short in length but none the less a fairly decent song. Starts off moody and builds up momentum as it steams along. Malcolm holds things together whilst Cliff picks away. The guitar work of Angus along with Brian's vocals make this a definite inclusion in any set list... Maybe the strip routine halfway through?

6: Smash N Grab
Great harmonies once again from Cliff and Malcolm, Brendan O'Brien seems to enjoy getting the backing vocals right throughout this album. It has a catchy chorus: "SMASH, GRAB AND TAKE IT". Yeh, I'll take it thank you very much.

7: Spoilin' For A Fight
Pure AC/DC, This is what they are all about. 'Shot of Love' + 10. I tend to follow Malcolm whenever I listen to AC/DC albeit on my air Gretsch. Things are picking up now on this album.

8: Wheels
Oh my! Add a piano and some brass to this little beauty and you have a masterpiece. Of course I jest, I don't think AC/DC would ever go down that route but close your eyes for a second and you can hear a piano and a fanfare of trumpets blow in appraisal of this killer track. How do the Young brothers come up with such great, yet simple riffs?

9: Decibel
Hmmm, really not sure about this one. For me, it doesn't really get going. It's not weak and certainly not a filler. Maybe it is positioned wrong on the album? Some great guitar work from Angus but it loses pace for me midway through.

10: Stormy May Day
There was a lot of talk before the 'unofficial' launch of this album via torrent sites that Angus used slide on one of the songs. This is the song, although it's not spectacular slide, it is a change for Angus Young. Imagine the mood of 'Badlands' from 'Flick of the Switch'

11: She Likes Rock N Roll
Who invented the term 'Rock N' Roll'? They should have trademarked the term, they would have made a tidy sum of money from AC/DC. Not one of my favorites though the chant in the middle is 'interesting'

12: Money Made
One has to look [listen] past the vocals of Brian to hear the genius of the Young brothers on this track. Psychic, they really work off each other on this piece. I don't know what Brendan O'Brien said to them when they laid this down but whatever it was, it worked. A song to drool over.

13: Rock N Roll Dream
Starts off very slow, unusual for a song with 'Rock N' Roll' in its title. Anyone who said Brian Johnson cannot carry a tune, listen to the opening sequence. It moves from slow to upbeat to slow to upbeat. Hard to fully let yourself go and almost definitely not one for the set-list.

14: Rocking All The Way
Ah, keep smoking those cigarettes Brian, the gravel voice at the start of this track more or less tells you what you are in for. Jump aboard the Malcolm Young showboat. This little baby rolls and is infectious. Slightly repetitive chorus line but hey, that's AC/DC.

15: Black Ice
Kept thinking of Blackmore's Rainbow when I first heard this track... until I heard Angus. To be honest, a bands title track should be remembered. 'Highway to Hell', 'Back in Black', 'Let There Be Rock' etc. Black Ice, the track, can't stand next to any of the aforementioned. Sadly, this is the one filler on what is otherwise an enjoyable album.

8.5/10

AC/DC bounce back with an album full of fun and inspiration. Featuring their most catchy songs since the early 80's, the band have gone for hooks and melodies aplenty, apparently encouraged by producer Brendan O'Brien, who has also coaxed a more soulful, rather less strained performance from a very impressive Brian Johnson. Johnson, aged 60 when Black Ice was recorded, rolls back the years with a voice which whilst weathered, sounds strong and of more texture than for many a year. He sounds powerful and shrill in the style of his 80's heyday on tunes like Big Jack and Spoilin' For A Fight, adds his traditional gritty edge to superb, bluesy lines on Decibel, and just sounds altogether fantastic on the anthemic Rock 'n' Roll Train and Money Made.

The production from O'Brien, and mix from Mike Fraser, are excellent. Big, round, full of warmth and crunch - a modern production but not over-polished, despite a couple of slightly ill-advised but harmless uses of samples on guitars and vocals here and there. Angus favours a chunky sound but without the high end of the 70's albums - this is more like their more recent albums in terms of guitar sound, with Mal's awesome rhythm particularly evident on the aforementioned Money Made.

Soloing from Angus is great in parts, largely too short for hardcore fans, and rarely does he let rip with the flowing, tumbling pentatonic and blues runs which addded so much to the songs pre-1995's Ballbreaker. However, there are flashes of his old magic in Decibel, the rousing Skies on Fire, and in the glorious double-stops and double-bends of the ultra-catchy Anything Goes. Of the latter, it is curious how such a commercial track is just slightly let down in the chorus, where the actual song title isn't used, and without any backing vocals as in something like 1990's Moneytalks. Still, the song is a cracker and basically, pure sing-along fun.

Lyrics are again handled by the Youngs, and in the most part are uninspired and meaningless, failing to conjure up much in the way of imagary or indeed anything at all. You only have to check the main website message boards and discussions to see how strongly the fans wanted Johnson writing again.

The other disappointment is in the short length of some songs. Perhaps due to there being 15 of them, and concerns over running time, some superb tracks are all over too soon. War Machine just about gets away with it, but its quality deserves more, and the majestic Stormy May Day abruptly ends after the 2nd chorus, without a solo in sight. A pity.

But overall this is a great collection of songs, and aside from a somewhat dull chorus to She Likes Rock n Roll, and the lack of lyrics (content and structure) in Smash n Grab's strange 1st verse, there's hardly anything which a real AC/DC fan wouldn't enjoy immensely. What we have here is a thoroughly enjoyable collection of songs which find the band in fine form, led by one of the most characterful voices in rock and backed up by a one-off rhythm section - plus those classic twin guitars.

Their best for 25 years - enjoy!

Track listing (since Amazon hasn't provided one)

1. Rock 'n Roll Train
2. Skies On Fire
3. Big Jack
4. Anything Goes
5. War Machine
6. Smash N Grab
7. Spoilin' For A Fight
8. Wheels
9. Decibel
10. Stormy May Day
11. She Likes Rock N Roll
12. Money Made
13. Rock N Roll Dream
14. Rocking All The Way
15. Black Ice

This album sounds like classic ACDC and the limited edition's only difference with the normal copy of B;ack Ice is it's solid case and 30 page booklet of pictures

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1.0 out of 5 stars When the sludge hits the fan....
Having been an AC/DC fan on and off for years now, it is disappointing to have to say that this is a very uninspired and repetitive album. Read more

Published 3 months ago by os

3.0 out of 5 stars Too much filler, but good none the less
The album which may be the final studio cut for AC/DC, 8 long years after Stiff Upper Lip was released. Read more

Published 21 months ago by Azz McMahon

3.0 out of 5 stars AC/DC warm, but not warm enough
It's an interesting album Black Ice, it's a marked improvement on the last two Ballbreaker and Stiff Upper Lip, but I wouldn't say there was anything special about it. Read more

Published on 30 Nov 2008 by I. A. Reddish

3.0 out of 5 stars Predictable
There are decent riffs on this album that lift it above some of the more lackadaisical offerings of Brian Johnston-era AC/DC (the equally forgettable Fly on the Wall, Ballbreaker,... Read more

Published on 29 Nov 2008 by A. K.

1.0 out of 5 stars Poor quality again
First let me say I am and always have been a massive AC/DC fan.I have travelled around the country and around the world to see them live which is always a stunning gig. Read more

Published on 23 Nov 2008 by Adrian Morris

4.0 out of 5 stars The only surprise is just how good this is...
It's good to have AC/DC back and, if the title and cover is anything to go by, also in Black. This, their Brendan O'Brien-produced 15th studio album, is no departure from their... Read more

Published on 23 Nov 2008 by A. Sweeney

1.0 out of 5 stars Eight years. It's like they never went away!
And after all this time they're as boring and predictable as ever! Great work, Angus!

Published on 14 Nov 2008 by Naysayer

1.0 out of 5 stars Boring!
I have a pretty good collection of heavy rock albums including a fair few AC/DC. I still like heavy rock music because it is generally exciting and is great to play in the car and... Read more

Published on 6 Nov 2008 by P. Wilkinson

3.0 out of 5 stars Less Boogie and Strut. more Plod
Same as many here - have every album since dirty deeds- and with 15 tracks and an eight year wait I thought maybe this would have more on it to want to play again - but apart from... Read more

Published on 2 Nov 2008 by Steve Thompson

5.0 out of 5 stars Best since "The Razor's Edge" & if it ain't broke, don't fix it...
Yes, the 8 years between records have been worth the wait for AC/DC...I liked their last coupla records, "Stiff Upper Lip" & "Ballbreaker", but didn't love em as much as "Back In... Read more

Published on 30 Oct 2008 by Larry Davis

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