AC/DC: Ballbreaker

Australian Creeps/Dangerously Close Edition

Where Back in Black was the triumphant return of AC/DC after the death of original singer Bon Scott, Ballbreaker feels like the seventh-inning stretch for some tired dudes who maybe aren’t that into it anymore. The paces have slowed, there’s a little less spark, and none of the songs are as memorable or catchy as anything that’s gone before. Opener "Hard as a Rock" is solid as a rock, for sure, but hard. I dunno.

I had a friend in high school named James who love, love LOVED AC/DC. As in, it was the only band he cared about, far as I knew. He was a fresh-faced, tall, skinny dude with an easy going, chilled out nature. Clever too, so when I read stupid song titles such as “Cover You in Oil”, “Burnin’ Alive” and “Caught With Your Pants Down”, and James’ is the first face I see in my mind when I reminisce on the times I used to listen to AC/DC a little more regularly, I have to chuckle a little bit.