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RELEASED:June 23 2007(Aus) U.S. etc. to follow
PRODUCER: Bob Marlette
LABEL: EMI (Aus) / Roadrunner
BAND:
Joel O'Keeffe
David Roads
Justin Street
Ryan O'Keeffe |
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Vocals, Guitar, Production, rock!
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Repetitive, Little variation |
TRACKS:
1.Stand Up For Rock 'N' Roll 2. Runnin' Wild 3. Too Much, Too Young, Too Fast 4. Diamond In The Rough 5. Fat City 6. Blackjack 7. What's Eatin' You 8. Girls In Black 9. Cheap Wine & Cheaper Women 10. Heartbreaker 11. Let's Ride |
OVERVIEW
Following in the footsteps of Australian rock giants Ac/Dc, comes the new generation of pub rockers with the classic pub rock sound. Airbourne will be referenced against Ac/Dc for the longevity of the band, over, and over again. Simply because; they sound just like them! The guitars crunch like Angus and the vocals are shout heavy ala Brian Johnson, but O’Keefe really shares more in common with fellow Aussie transplant Jimmy Barnes or legendary Rose Tattoo vocalist Angry Anderson. They even have a couple of brothers heading the band, so the question will always be asked; can they step up to an impossible mark?
SONGS
A very cool intro leads us into the album opener Stand Up For Rock N Roll; this high octane rocker blazer’s 100 mile per hour towards the Ac/Dc crown, and while that feat maybe impossible, this number does it better than those that have tried and failed before. Great pace and feel that sets the standard for the album; Joel O'Keeffe’s crunchy voice absolutely soars on this. The title track is even more Acca Dacca influenced; with its call and respond chorus. Popular single Too Much continues the formula, and manages to stay in your head, long after the disc has stopped spinning. Diamond In The Rough is very cool, but looses its appeal a little by the end. More of the same follows with Fat City, before Blackjack kicks it into gear with some frantic, fast-assed boogie. What’s Eatin’ You has a great feel and Cheap Wine has some classic riffs. The album finishes up with the sensational behind-the-wheel stomper Heartbreaker, and finishes with the all-in rocker Let’s Ride.
CONCLUSION
I was sceptical at first, as I usually am when another so-called Ac/Dc clone comes swaggering in. But after a few listens, I am convinced this is one hell of a balls-out rock n roll monster. You won’t find much variation here, and the sound will probably wear thin fairly fast, but if you just want to get up and move to some classic rock, then go no further than Airbourne; the guitars crunch hard, the drum thumps and Joel O’Keefe (although similar to others) has a quality of wail all his own, and really, there isn’t a weak song in the bunch. These guys might be far from breaking new ground, but after a couple of spins, the message is plain and simple; pure, toe tappin’ rock n roll. Bloody good job at it too.
