Black Ice - AC/DC

This is something that hasn't happened in awhile. A new studio album from AC/DC. The last one was 2000's Stiff Upper Lip. But what has taken far longer is a really good, solid AC/DC album. Oh, there's been some close ones along the way (The Razor's Edge), but most AC/DC fans will tell you they haven't lived up to Back in Black since. Black Ice changes that.

Now don't get me wrong. I don't think AC/DC can ever write an album as good as Back in Black ever again. That is, and always will be the best album that bears the name AC/DC. But Black Ice is a bit of a different animal. After the last album and tour were over, you started hearing rumblings that the Young brothers wanted to do something different next time. They didn't want "just another AC/DC record". They achieved it!

It has some songs on there and some riffs I don't think I've ever heard AC/DC doing. Oh, it's AC/DC, it's not like they're going to start sounding like Black Sabbath. But this is not your garden vareity AC/DC album. It is pretty darn good - has a nice variety, sounds new, but still keeps the traditional AC/DC sound. That make any sense? The track "Big Jack" in particular sounds like it could go on Back in Black. There's some REALLY good stuff on this disc!

It is (in the US, anyway) an exclusive at Walmart. If you want it, you have to buy it from Walmart, it's not available anywhere else. There are also a couple of different covers. Red, yellow, blue, & silver. Only the blue one has any real difference. That is the "special edition". I have that one. It's not worth the extra $2. You get lyrics, and some photos (most of which came from the video shoot for Rock & Roll Train). It's the kind of stuff that should be in album liner notes to begin with, not something that is there as a $2 extra. That kind of annoyed me.

A cute story about this, though. I'm 43 now. I've been listening to AC/DC since I was 15. I have bought all the albums the day they came out. This was no different. In fact, in a throwback to my youth, I drove over to my local Wal-Mart at 11:45PM the night of release, and hung out in the music section until the guy brought out the boxes with Black Ice in them. I was the only dork in the store, and helped him look through the pile for the special edition. As a little bonus, Walmart had the special edition discounted to $11.99 instead of the $13.99 for the opening weekend (or night, I'm not sure), so I got the extra $2 stuff for "free" (the way it should have been).

Bottom line is if you like AC/DC, you should like this. If you stopped buying their albums some time ago, give this one a shot, it's one of their better discs.