It’s hard to believe that the late great Bon Scott recorded with AC/DC for less than 5 years, while Brian Johnson is fast approaching the 30 year mark. The best thing about a new AC/DC record, is the fact that, no matter what, you know exactly what you are going to get. So even if you’ve never heard an AC/DC record, there is one thing for certain, and that is, it will be filled with a pounding rhythm section, whisky fueled vocals and some ass kicking blues riffs by a guy in a school uniform. So when ALL ACCESS Magazine decided to put AC/DC on the cover, we thought we might tell you a little something about their latest release.
'Black Ice' is the fifteenth studio album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC, released on October 18, 2008 for Australia and October 20 for the rest of the world. It is their first album in eight years, since the release of Stiff Upper Lip in 2000, the longest gap between AC/DC's studio albums to date. The album was produced by Brendan O'Brien and recorded and mixed by Mike Fraser at The Warehouse Studio in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It is also AC/DC's longest studio album to date.
In a 2004 interview, Brian Johnson revealed that for the first time since the 2000 album Stiff Upper Lip, he would be handling lyrics (as it turned out, this did not prove to be the case). He also said that Angus Young has written harder riffs than those on 'Stiff Upper Lip.'
As of January 2006, AC/DC were working on the album, and according to Malcolm Young at that time, "The band are currently writing and recording material for the eagerly anticipated next album, but no release 
date has been set." In April 2008, AC/DC's official website confirmed the release of the new album with producer Brendan O'Brien and audio engineer Mike Fraser, but did not confirm a release date.
In June 2008, Reuters reported that the album would be distributed solely by Wal-Mart stores in the United States, and that HMV stores in Canada were advertising the album with an October release date.
On August 15, AC/DC recorded the video to accompany the first single from the album, "Rock 'n Roll Train", in London. Three days later, an announcement was made on the band's official website, stating that Black Ice would be released on October 20, 2008.
It has been eight years since AC/DC's previous release, Stiff Upper Lip and there are several reasons why Black Ice took so long – for one, AC/DC changed record labels to Sony, and their bass player Cliff Williams injured his hand. He actually cut all the tendons and nerves in his hand after knocking over an oil lamp and falling whilst trying to clean up the glass and oil. Williams couldn’t play bass guitar for 18 months. Then it was Malcolm who decided when the band was ready. "Malcolm and Angus had been writing music for quite some time and came to the conclusion that they had a lot of great tunes and decided to put an album together.
"Rock 'n Roll Train" was released on August 28. The video of "Rock 'n Roll Train" appeared on the band's website on September 19. That day also saw the release of another song, War Machine, which is the b-side for "Black Ice". Also on that day was the release of a brief appraisal of the album by Rolling Stone magazine. Rolling Stone cites that "Brian wails about skies on fire, blood in his eyes, storms raging, lightning flashes, hard rain and pretty women... Angus Young shreds throughout...Malcolm Young, Cliff Williams and Phil Rudd — are solid as a rock." They also make the surprise statement that Angus Young uses a slide on the song "Stormy May Day". The magazine also named several tracks before the official release of the track listing. Another single, "Money Made" has also been released.
Several days after the original version of the album was made available for pre-order, the band's website store listed two variations of cover artwork available for the CD in addition to the original red logo. These were a yellow logo and a silver logo. All three versions feature the exact same music and content with a black background. However, the gray designs behind the band's logo are different on each of the two different covers. There is also a hardcover Deluxe Edition (blue logo) available which will contain a 30-page booklet with exclusive new illustrations, studio and live photographs of AC/DC. The first 10 tracks were played on radio station network Triple M in Australia 9 pm Monday 13th and again at 1 pm on Tuesday. With the North American release of 'Black Ice' on October 2008, Columbia Records and Walmart created "Rock Again AC/DC Stores" with the album Black Ice holding centre stage. It was the first time in the history of Walmart that such a large area of floor space was designated to celebrate the release of a new album. In October 2008, MTV along with Wal Mart and Columbia Records created "AC/DC Rock Band Stores" in New York, at Times Square, and Los Angeles. "Black Ice" trucks were also dispatched on the streets of these two cities after the release of Black Ice, playing AC/DC music aloud and making various stops each day to sell merchandise.
Four different covers have been released for this album, three of which featuring differently colored logos (red, yellow, and white) as well as a fourth with pale blue lettering containing bonus material. Like death and taxes, you can count on AC/DC to rock your socks off and that is what you can expect with 'BLACK ICE'. Welcome back mates!
DVD Review
NO BULL - The Director's Cut: AC/DC
Sony DVD
They might be a little older, and they might be going grey, but they’re still belting out the loudest hard rocking sounds you've ever heard! The thunder from down under, AC/DC release the director's cut of, 'NO BULL'. Filmed on July 10, 1996 at Madrid's Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas, which is a bullfighting arena in Madrid, Spain. Directed by David Mallet, 'No Bull: The Director's Cut' captures over 2 balls to the wall hours of classic AC/DC in concert. Bonus features include: "Angus-cam" songs and 2 rare performances from the Ballbreaker tour. The energy level certainly never lets up and the entire band sounds great. As the band rip through classic cuts like, "Back In Black", "Thunderstruck", "Highway To Hell", "The Jack", "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap", etc. AC/DC haven’t changed their formula a single note from day one. 'No Bull: The Director's Cut' has all the classic AC/DC moments that one has come to expect from these rock icons. Very much like their music there are no mayor surprises. It’s straight in your face rock and roll, but, even a band like AC/DC have to eventually make some concessions to the economic reality of today's music industry. To that end, this DVD, like their upcoming new album Black Ice, will be a WalMart exclusive. Meaning that’s the only place you will be able to get your hands on it. With that said, if you want AC/DC live on DVD, it’s not going to get any better than this. 'No Bull: The Director's Cut' is a show, well worth having on DVD or Blue-Ray and that's no bull.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
CD Review
BLACK ICE: AC/DC
Sony/BMG
Rock icons AC/DC, "THE THUNDER FROM DOWNUNDER" have returned! Eight years after the release of their last release, Stiff Upper Lip, produced by Brendan O'Brien, Black Ice serves up 15 new AC/DC songs that are muscular, meaty, and powerful. Instant hard and heavy sure to be classics that are loaded with macho bravado, double entendres, and, of course, Angus Young's trademark guitar. From the moment you press play and "Rock 'N' Roll Train" fires out of your speakers, it’s obvious the boys love flexing their rock and roll muscle. Its classic AC/DC from there on out, with tracks like, "Skies On Fire", "Big Jack" and "War Machine". Angus and the lads rock to high heaven, and on 'Black Ice', they may have lost a bit of melody, some of the throat gripping luster of "Dirty Deeds" and "Hells Bells" may be irretrievable by now, but every track offers hooks, riffs, drums and vocals that you can sink your teeth into. Come to think of it, listening to the new material isn't much different from biting into a juicy London Broil. That is what classic hard rock is supposed to feel like, and these guys have it down to the bone. This is, in fact, a new installment in the canon of "MUST HAVE" AC/DC albums. If you're looking for fun on your morning commute or at the beach on a hot Summer night in August or just laying around in your room and hoping the world will just shut up for a few hours so you could get your rock on, Black Ice is just what the doctor ordered. Like death and taxes, you can count on AC/DC to rock your socks off. Welcome back mates!
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
