Genre: Hard Rock \ Metal
Label: Spinefarm Records
Release Date: October 25, 2019
Tracklisting:
01 Boneshaker
02 Burnout The Nitro
03 This Is Our City
04 Sex To Go
05 Backseat Boogie
06 Blood In The Water
07 She Gives Me Hell
08 Switchblade Angel
09 Weapon Of War
10 Rock ‘N’ Roll For Life
Line Up:
Joel O’Keeffe – vocals/lead guitar
Matt “Harri” Harrison – guitar
Justin Street – bass
Ryan O’Keeffe – drums
Airbourne are my go-to rock demons every day, when I’m pissed off, when I’m happy, when I’m angry, when I want to party …. listening to these guys makes everything ok.
Their fifth studio album, ‘Boneshaker’, the all-action Aussie rockers Airbourne decided to work with arguably Nashville’s Number One producer, Dave Cobb, and …well…the awesome sound speaks for itself!
The title track of ‘Boneshaker’ is literally, the most deliciously, anticipated music to my ears, that I have needed for a while. When interviewing Matt “Harri” Harrison a while back, I asked him what he thought made the perfect rock track and he mentioned big riffs, big choruses, and big singalongs. This track, my friends, IS the PERFECT ROCK TRACK.
From the guitar build-up to the screaming chorus and backing vocals, this is BLOODY BRILLIANT!
Up next the fast and furious, pedal to the metal, ‘Burnout the Nitro’, the combination of the driving guitar and freight train beats and spine-tingling call to rock action shout outs from the boys, burns through the track.
‘This is Our City’ is a stomping, stonking treat that will be a real singalong classic when the boys play live from now on to be sure! The awesome strains of rock n roll guitar solos with a heavy groove and soul satisfaction continues throughout. ‘Sex to Go’ has a honky-tonk bar room feel to it, whilst ‘Backseat Boogie’ just screams out the fun that the lads are having whilst playing this, producing a hip-swinging, Newcastle beer-swilling, a hell of a good time.
‘Blood in The Water’ has growling vocals and heavy, heavy, drumming which brings this track sliding like the devil it is into your eardrums. ‘She Gives Me Hell’ is the perfect dance tune with that almost rock n roll disco beat which shoots from the hip. The satisfyingly raucous ‘Switchblade Angel’ serves as a reminder as to just how talented these musicians are, whilst the ‘Weapon of War’ has slow, grinding intro tempo which heats up nicely to an awesome crescendo of what the boys do best, wailing guitars, rock harmonies, and nasty drumming.
The SCREAMING, CRASHING, HEADBANGERS NECK inducing ‘Rock N Roll for Life’ is the final track from a superb album …. PHEW…. I feel like I have just stumbled, sweating and happy from an actual Airbourne gig!
To those, and there are some, but not many, who say ‘have heard this all before’… of course, you cannot dismiss the ACDC influence with Airbourne, but I think that those naysayers can get knotted, as far as I’m concerned, these boys are certainly bringing what I need to the table AND with a modern-day twist. Their live performances are truly something to behold and the energy that they fire out from the stage cannot be argued with.
Quite simply the best album I have heard all year …. thank you, boys, for giving the gift of Airbourne time and time again! I have said it before and I will say it again …. if you get a chance to see Airbourne live, GO GO GO !!!!
SCORE: 10 out of 10
REVIEWER: Francijn Suermondt
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