AC/DC
Rock or Bust
Rating: *** 1/2 to **** (3.75)
It might be hard to believe but this
year of 2014 marks 40 years since Aussie hard rockers AC/DC formed. To
celebrate, the band has decided to release a new studio album and have a tour
to follow it in 2015. The new album, Rock
or Bust, is the band’s first album since 2008’s Black Ice. However, AC/DC release Rock or Bust with a heavy heart as the band has gone through a
major change in their line-up: rhythm guitarist and co-founding member Malcolm
Young was forced to retire from the band, having suffered from a stroke earlier
this year and is currently being treated for dementia. Replacing Malcolm is
Stevie Young, nephew of Malcolm and Angus. Stevie is no stranger to AC/DC,
having filled in for Malcolm during the band’s 1988 tour. Despite Malcolm’s absence,
Rock or Bust manages to be another
good album from AC/DC and celebrates their 40th anniversary well.
The
band gets right down to it, opening the album with the title track. With a mean
guitar riff from Angus (similar to the one in “Back in Black”) and solid bass
line from Cliff Williams, “Rock or Bust” is one of strongest tracks from the
album. Singer Brian Johnson sounds great, which is saying a lot considering his
age. The lead single, “Play Ball,” is another great song. While the song doesn’t
have the greatest lyrics, it’s a short and sweet catchy song. For an album that’s
a little under 35 minutes, there’s plenty of things from this album that can be
enjoyed. AC/DC sure know how to deliver hard rocking tracks, slow and fast. “Dogs
of War” is a slower track with some dark overtones and an edgy sounding chorus
while I can already see Angus doing his Chuck Berry duck walks during the rapid-fire
“Baptism by Fire.” Speaking of which, Angus really shines on this album. He and
Stevie dominate during “Miss Adventure” while he plays some tasty
Zeppelin-esque riffs during “Rock the House.” The latter track is so catchy; I
wouldn’t be surprised if it’s used at any strip joints!
Rock or Bust does have a
few weaknesses. As mentioned before, the album runs at 34 minutes- making the
album AC/DC’s shortest. While I praise the band for trying keeping it short (which
wasn’t the case for Black Ice: that
clocked in at 55 minutes), I still feel like something’s missing. While Black Ice was the longer album, I feel
it had better songs. “Got Some Rock & Roll Thunder” has a nice bass line
from Williams but doesn’t go elsewhere while “Sweet Candy” just sounds like a
continuation of “Rock the House.” Still, these are small bits of criticism and
it doesn’t stop the album from being enjoyable.
Overall, Rock
or Bust is a solid album from AC/DC. With that, I will look forward to
seeing the band tour next year. However, there might be another line-up change
in the future: along with Malcolm’s retirement, drummer Phil
Rudd was arrested in New Zealand last month and is now facing threatening to
kill and drug possession charges. Despite this, AC/DC has said their touring
plans remain unchanged, saying they will go on with or without Rudd. In the
meantime, AC/DC fans can enjoy Rock or
Bust.
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