AC/DC really are living legends of rock and roll. They are amongst the top selling music artists of all time. They can sell out concerts worldwide in mere minutes. And they can release an album in 2008 that sounds, quite frankly, like a missing link back to their strongest efforts of the early 1980’s.

I am a lifelong AC/DC fan, counting Back in Black as the very first album I ever bought. I have had the pleasure of interviewing Angus Young and Brian Johnson on the set of a music video, where I heard one of the best dirty jokes in my life from Mr. Johnson (no, I shan’t repeat it here, suffice to say the punch line goes “who’s Bob?”) I enjoy the music the band did throughout the late 80’s and 90’s, even when it seemed Johnson’s voice wasn’t quite as strong as it had been in the past. But sometime during the eight year gap between the release of their last album and their latest, Black Ice, the Brothers Young crafted some of their finest rock and roll songs ever and Brian Johnson seemingly found the same quality of voice he had in 1981.

Whereas some bands claim they put out albums of great songs, AC/DC means it. The band’s new album is 15 songs worth of classic AC/DC. There is not a second rate song here. And I say that as a fact, not as a fan. Johnson’s voice hasn’t sounded this good since the early 1980’s and frankly for anyone who hasn’t listened to anything the band has done since then, you could forgiven for thinking this is a lost album that could have come out after For Those About to Rock We Salute You. Producer Brendan O’Brien has injected the band with a new, raw energy that permeates through each and every song. Whether your sum total of AC/DC knowledge begins and ends with Back in Black or if you are a fan who hasn’t yet climbed on board the band’s latest rock and roll train ride, put simply, Black Ice is an absolute must listen.

This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2009  Volume 1 at lulu.com/strangesound.