Album Review: ACDC- Rock Or Bust

Rock Or Bust is the fifteenth international release and the sixteenth released in Australia by Hard Rock veterans AC/DC and was released in 2014. To get this out of the way, I FREAKING LOVE ACDC and til the day I die I will. People have always asked me why they have always remained my favorite artist and my answer always is and will be “It’s good simple Rock N Roll”. Now that being said, this year has had me happy as a fan and sad as a fan. On one hand it’s fantastic to see another ACDC record in my hands it just feels great. The bad news is Malcolm Young who is essentially the founding member has dementia unfortunately and has had to retire from the band permanently. Also, drummer Phil Rudd dragged himself down in the past two to three months and we probably won’t see him on what could be ACDC’s swan song tour. Angus and Malcolm’s nephew Stevie Young came back since he filled in for Mal in 1988 on the North American leg of the Blow Up Your Video tour. I thought it wouldn’t gel as well as I thought it just wasn’t the same without Young’s rock solid right hand. However, I knew I was going to give the album a try and I am so glad I did.

Track Rundown

1.Rock Or Bust-Upon first listen, I was extremely blown away not just by the song, but especially by the production. The band just sounds bigger than before with the added reverb as if they are jamming in a stadium with no one in it. I really give kudos to producer Brendan O’ Brian for giving this record a better treatment than Black Ice. The song is really heavy as well as Angus has a thicker tone than the last record. Stevie sounds rock solid as well, in fact, he doesn’t miss a beat on the whole record. Rudd’s drums sound as loud as ever as well and he hold the rhythm down very well. Brian Johnson has really blown me away as well as he is singing better than he has in twenty years. The song is a total show stopper and a fantastic opener to the record.

2.Play Ball- Ah the first single to the album and when I first listened to it on a physical copy I just thought wow it sounds even better. The bass has never been more present in any other ACDC record I don’t think and Cliff really gives this song the low end it really needs. The chorus is really catchy and Angus’ solo in it is one of my favorites on the record. A total modern ACDC classic.

3.Rock The Blues Away- This song has a more pop oriented sound to it. I mean like 60’s bluesy pop sort of speak with the verses sounding almost exactly like Anything Goes off of Black Ice. Those who are put off by this, however, will find that it is a more structured update of Anything Goes and the chorus kind of has this repeat echo thing going on I dig. It. This song seriously would put you in a good mood on a rainy day.

4.Miss Adventure-This song has a really cool slick riff to it with the Thunderstruck like “na na na na” backup vocals to it. Stevie’s guitar is really a lot more present here as well and you can really hear how tight of a player he really is. This song could have easily been on 1985’s Fly On The Wall and that’s because it’s just a kickass tune.

5.Dogs Of War-The highlight of this track I think is really the backup vocals in which you can hear Angus growl “ Dogs of war..” and Cliff and Stevie eerily respond “soldiers of fortune!”. When it gets to the main chorus I think it just sounds so raw and the fadeout at the end is interesting as well as it has that “coming from a radio” effect that I have never heard on an ACDC tune. Definitely a heavier and darker track.

6.Got Some Rock N Roll Thunder- The bumpy bass line really catches me on this song as it sounds like it could have come from the Powerage album. Bon’s voice could have easily fit in with this tune as well as it shows the straighter up classic rock n roll sound instead of heavy hard rock. It’s a pretty good tune for the middle of the album and the bass definitely shines through.

7.Hard Times- they wrote another “Meanstreak” type song with the soft bumpy almost funky riffs except where that song had a lot of funk elements this one leans toward total blues and is just a great jam and the chorus could be sung by anyone especially anyone in Chicago, “Hard times sure ain’t been good to me”.

8.Baptism By Fire- What a freaking song I mean really just a kickass tune that’s heavy as it is catchy. It is like Hail Caesar (BallBreaker) and Safe In New York City(Stiff Upper Lip) combined and is probably the fastest song on the record. Phil’s drumming really shines hear as well and whether he is a convicted criminal or not, the man knows how to play simple drums with style. Definitely my favorite song on the album and I think everyone fan needs to hear it at least once.

9.Rock The House- The Zeppelin-isms come out strong on this song I could see Jimmy Page guesting on it as well. The solo rips as well with the Muddy Waters inspired riffs being pounded down by Stevie and Cliff. It is a really straight forward song that really catches you.

10.Sweet Candy- The “Whole Lotta Rosie” track of this record as it deals with a chick aptly named “Candy”. It has some pretty heavy riffs and another really catchy chorus with some nice backup vocals behind it as well. Pretty damn good song.

11.Emission Control- This is probably my least favorite song on the record HOWEVER that does not mean it is bad but it could have been placed in the middle. The riff is pretty dirty as well but for a song that has “Emission” in the title it can be as dirty as it wants. I could tell they just wanted to slow it down and jam for the end of the record and that’s what they did. People complain that it’s not varied but c’mon rock n’ roll doesn’t end on a soft note and this album sure does not. It ends up rocking away like Mal would have wanted.

Overall, I rate this album a 9.7 out of a 10. This is definitely my favorite album since 1995’s Ballbreaker and possibly since 1983’s Flick of the Switch as well. The sound makes everyone song just scream and is one of ACDC’s best produced records. Malcolm surely must be proud of what his brother ultimately accomplished and Stevie will be welcomed with open arms on the tour as well. People tell me all the time that ACDC is overrated and that they are dead. Well, as I listen to Rock Or Bust for about the 50^th time all I can say is “In Rock we trust, its Rock Or Bust”. Long live ACDC!