The Deal: After 35 years, hard rockers from Down Under show no signs of slowing down on 15th studio album.
The Good: For those who have been waiting for a new disc – the last one was released in 2000 – it's the band's longest, 15 tracks clocking in at just more than 55 minutes. The band is in fine form – Brian Johnson's voice sounds the same as always, the Young brothers continue to create catchy riffs. Angus Young plays slide guitar on "Stormy May Day." There are actual moments when Johnson doesn't scream and tries his hand at singing – and it's not bad!
The Bad: How many song titles can you have rock in? Not counting the ones from past albums, but this one has four – "Rock N Roll Train," "She Likes Rock N Roll," "Rock N Roll Dream" and "Rocking All the Way." I'm not a fan of all these bands that keep doing exclusive sales deals with one retailer – this one's only available at Wal-Mart. The opening riff in "Decibel" sounds a bit too much like ZZ Top.
The Verdict: Not a bad album, but after a while the songs all start to sound the same – catchy riff, Johnson's high-pitched screaming ... rinse and repeat. There must be plenty of fans – the album sold more than 1.7 million copies worldwide in its first week. They'll be at Time Warner Cable Arena on Dec. 18.