AC/DC
Black Ice

After 8 years AC/DC are back and deliver 'Black Ice', overall recorded and produced excellently (rating 10)

Tracklist

The single "Rock N'Roll Train" opens, it will be a live anthem, but in the studio it significantly loses much of its biting potential (rating 5).

Reminiscences of 'Deep Purple' style (of Gillan's memory) in "Skies On Fire" which is quite appreciated, with Cliff Williams on the 4 strings doing his dignified part (rating 8).

"Big Jack" is Malcolm Young's very personal trademark: but it's just above average (rating 6+).

Then it's time for the surprising "Anything Goes", with a catchy sound, on the verge of 'FM Rock', it should have been the real launch single: huge mistake (rating 7+).

"War Machine" is perhaps the most inspired track but ends up stressing the listening for excess and barely deserves sufficiency only for the relentless drumming of Phil Rudd (rating 6).

"Smash n' Grab" is like a 'boeing' that fails to take off (rating 6 and a half).

In "Spoiling For A Fight" more could and should have been done, but it remains pure and healthy Rock 'n' Roll: take it or leave it (rating 7-).

"Wheels" is simply beautiful and you can bet that it will become a live classic (rating 8).

The blues in "Decibel" is pure class: the peak of the album and the band in great shape (rating 10).

Zeppelin-like echo in "Stormy My Day": also appreciable (rating 8).

"She Likes Rock n' Roll" is a great track: AC/DC play rock'n'roll but are anything but dinosaurs, and they prove it (rating 9).

"Money Made" follows closely and the discussion, essentially, does not change with Brian Johnson's impeccable performance (rating 9).

"Rock n'Roll Dream" is a decent ballad, but too formal for AC/DC and doesn't excel (rating 7).

Another classic is "Rocking All The Way", but even in this case, we are just above average (rating 6+).

Much better is "Black Ice": Angus's very personal trademark, which closes the record more than worthily, giving the title to it (rating 8).

For fine palates

The arithmetic mean of the ratings would say little more than average: actually, it is an album with bows and it is not a masterpiece only because we are in 2008 and it is the 14th studio album that consecrates a good 35 years of career, with ups and downs, but always on the shields. Are they recycling? But on themselves, and they are always them: the original and immortal.