It’s been six years since Black Ice, AC/DC’s last studio album release. During that time, not much has really happened in the rock world. So, will anyone actually care about an aging hard rock band releasing new music? It’s a fair question, and I like to think they will. I could get on my soapbox and spout off about the current and sad state of affairs in the rock world, while living in the past, blasting a Foghat or Bad Company CD. Nothing currently interests me, unless it’s something by a seasoned rock act, and I know a lot of people feel that way. We know what we like and we know what we don’t like. AC/DC’s 2014 release, their 15th album, Rock or Bust, is what legions of rock fans want, even though it, for the most part, sounds the same. But we don’t care.
Rock or Bust sounds like Black Ice, which sounds like Stiff Upper Lip, which sounds — yeah, you get the picture. But so what? Only AC/DC can sound like AC/DC, so why shouldn’t they? Besides, releasing a classic like Back in Black pretty much gives you free reign to do whatever you want to do. As Rock or Bust attests, none can do it quite the way AC/DC does.
Tracks such as “Miss Adventure” or “Play Ball” may sound like old material (pick a song, any song), but AC/DC has this magical little way of making it all sound fresh. It is a genius musical trait that I wish more bands possessed. With AC/DC, you know exactly what you are getting and there are never any surprises. Do we really want to hear anything different from these guys anyways? The band knows we don’t, and so they give the fans what they want, every time, which pretty much sums up all 11 tracks on Rock or Bust. AC/DC isn’t just the name of a band, it’s a style of rock and roll that no one else can quite duplicate.
So, what can I tell you about the new release that you probably haven’t already figured out? That every track is in 4/4 time? Yeah, no surprise there. How about if I tell you that vocalist Brian Johnson has a voice that sounds like — apologies for the cliché — he has been gargling glass? Oh, that’s right, you know. How about the fact that every track has an arena-rock-sing-along feel to it? Oh, you knew that, too. How about if I told you that Angus Young never fails to impress? I would have to say, and I am sure there are many, many out there that will back me up, that Young never seems to get the credit he is due for his six-string skills. For what he plays (blues-heavy rock riffs and leads), he is actually on par with an Eddie Van Halen in terms of sheer talent.
The rhythm section of bassist Cliff Williams and drummer Phil Rudd do what any good rhythm section should do — that is, keep the beat on two and four, and don’t get too damned fancy. There, mission accomplished. Besides, it all comes down to what Johnson and Angus do anyways. So yeah, I haven’t told you anything you didn’t already know. (That is, unless you didn’t know that Angus and Malcolm Young’s nephew, Stevie, appears on the album, filling in for the ailing Malcolm). All in all, I think Rock or Bust, produced by Brendan O’Brien, is a very good AC/DC album, even if all the tracks are not all that far removed from anything you’d find on Stiff Upper Lip, Fly on the Wall, or Flick of the Switch. But now I am merely repeating myself at this point.
It isn’t about Rock or Bust anyways. It’s about how AC/DC’s has a way of poking you in the chest, getting in your face, and telling you, “Hey mate, we’re back and we are going to show everyone else how it’s actually done.” It’s merely a reminder of who they are and, if nothing else, a bit of marketing for their upcoming tour. Sadly, Malcolm Young will not be on board, and who knows about Phil Rudd and his little Charles Bronson-style escapades of late. That aside, Rock or Bust is well produced, well written, and very well played. But then, again, what else would you expect from these guys? After all, they’re AC/DC.
~ Bruce Forrest
