Airbourne - Runnin' Wild (2007)
- Stand Up for Rock 'N' Roll - 4:01
- Runnin' Wild - 3:38
- Too Much, Too Young, Too Fast - 3:42
- Diamond in the Rough - 2:54
- Fat City - 3:26
- Blackjack - 2:42
- What's Eatin' You - 3:36
- Girls in Black - 3:16
- Cheap Wine & Cheaper Women - 3:10
- Heartbreaker - 3:56
- Hellfire - 2:19
Listen : Spotify [/CENTER]
Introduction
members : Joel O'Keeffe, Ryan O'Keeffe, David Roads, Justin Street
I read somewhere that the O'Keeffe brothers had gotten their old uncle's rock and roll records in with their breastmilk when they were kids. That must've been some awesome records - and some hot sauce in those tits too - cause these guys ****ing rock -
hard. Like their musical forefathers (obviously AC/DC), Airbourne is a hard rock band from Australia and although they've been making songs for a few years and gained an ever-growing following for their pub rock sound, they didn't release their debut until 2007 in Australia and 2008 for the rest of us. Get ready to get your ass kicked!
Album review
Damn! Listening to Airbourne's debut is like getting punched in the ear with the fist of rock & roll and it hurts - only in a good way. You know? The opener,
Stand up for Rock 'N' Roll opens with a riff that sounds like you just put on a Megadeth or some other metal band album. However, after a little suspension buildup, the song reaches a climax and the hard rock sound punches through and hits you straight in the face. Awesome! Then it keeps climaxing for the rest of the song. I haven't heard anything this genuine in a long time. These guys are the real deal -
and they sound like it. This track was (unsurprisingly) the first I ever heard of Airbourne and it blew me away right from the start. It's a true beer drinking, ass-kickin' Rock & Roll anthem and a powerful opener on a what sounds like a great debut record.
The second track,
Runnin' Wild just continues the goodness. The vocals are harsh, gritty, the beat is steady and the guitar sounds raw and the riffs are dirty. This is true headbanger's music. Another awesome track.
Too Much, Too Young, Too Fast,
Diamond in the Rough,
Fat City and onwards, they all continue much in the same vein as the first couple of songs. It's all ass-kickin, riff-based hard rock and the quality is high. I don't think there's a single weak track on this album.
The lyrical themes are right where they should be. From "
Too Much, Too Young, Too Fast" :
Too much, Too young, Too fast
I'm gonna drink it up while it lasts
Too much, Too young, Too fast
I'm gonna tear it up so fill my glass
Clearly something youthful people in all ages can relate to. Awesome!
Review Summary
So what do we have here? Aside from possibly last or this year's strongest debut (depending on where you are) and a good contender for most testosterone put on a record, Runnin' Wild is one helluva rock album. It takes the oldschool sound and attitude of AC/DC and mixes it with the best from modern production and youthful energy. If you like AC/DC, you cannot help but like Airbourne's sound. The first time I put it on, my girlfriend actually thought I'd put on an AC/DC record (the old guys should be proud - or they should perhaps call their lawyers). Anyways, while there are no weak tracks, the songs lack variation (which is why I skipped doing a detailed track-by-track review). However, I think for an album like this, most people won't mind at all. They'll probably be getting drunk.
So - if you have your friends over for beer one day, put this on. They will thank you. Strongly recommended for everyone who still likes their rock music with balls!
Toretorden's Treasure Trove rating : 5/6
I'm looking forward to hear how Black Ice compares to this.
Oh, and if someone in Oslo could get them for a concert, that would make me happy!