One thing you need to know about Warnambool band Airbourne is they sound a hell of a lot like AC/DC.
If you can get past this obvious comparison – and accept they’ve chosen a pretty good band to emulate – then you should enjoy the no-frills, hard-hitting 4/4 rock and roll they consistently churn out.
Like the quartet’s last two releases Runnin’ Wild (2007) and No Guts, No Glory (2010), Black Dog Barking is chock full of made-for-air-guitar riffs, ferocious vocals, solid rhythm playing, squealing Angus Young inspired solos and lyrics that pander to just about every rock cliché.
Song titles on this album include 'Ready to Rock', 'Firepower' and 'Live it Up', and the first single's chorus begins “Hell raiser, risk taker, full speed ahead till I’m dead in the fast lane!”
On 'No One Fits Me Better Than You', frontman Joel O’Keefe’s voice reaches full falsetto and features one of his more creative riffs, while 'Women Like That' showcases the sturdy backing vocals of the rhythm section that make Airbourne’s songs so easy to sing along to.
Fans will invariably draw links between tracks on Black Dog Barking and those on their earlier albums, but you have to expect that from a band that only uses three chords and has AC/DC and Motorhead as its key influences.
And let’s be honest – the music Airbourne has created up until now has been pretty damn good and earned them worldwide recognition, so it can’t hurt them to keep making the same music again and again.
To quote a recent post off the band’s Facebook page, crank it up, crack a beer and stick some rock ‘n’ roll in your ear!
Alexander Darling
