AC/DC Black Ice

Eight years is a mighty long time in the music world, but as AC/DC have proven time and time again—the rules of the rest of the world don’t apply. After a nearly decade-long break, the band returned with a ferocious new batch of tunes. Black Ice is a heavy and hungry album that fits in perfectly in their long line of hard rock triumphs, from Back in Black and The Razor’s Edge. Ragged, rough-edged and uncompromising, the boys (okay, men) put together 15 new tracks and brought in famed producer Brendan O’Brien to ensure that their lean, uncluttered sound was maintained. Highlights this time out include the huge “Anything Goes”, the propulsive “Big Jack” and “Rock ’n’ Roll Train”, which proved, alongside the full-size locomotive that was brought onstage, to be one of their 2008 world tour highlights.