Album Review: Airbourne - Black Dog Barking

Maligned as they are by many Australians, doubters should witness Airbourne in full flight at a European festival. This is where the hard-drinking and even harder-rocking Warrnambool crew really resonate. If more cynics did so – or failing that, just caught them in a club – they'd likely be something greater than a cult act in their own country.

Although studio albums are merely an entrée for explosive performances, their third LP is again a one-dimensional but heavy-duty batch of songs that still translate because they bristle with sheer exuberance. Mutt Lange controversially offset AC/DC's raucous blues/boogie with liberal doses of spick and span on Highway To Hell. Producer Brian Howes' track record (Nickelback, Hinder, Puddle of Mudd) isn't overly encouraging either. Barnstorming sonic gut-punch of an opener, Ready To Rock, bearing only a vague resemblance to their debut EP's title track, shows Howes also affording Airbourne a marginally more polished sound. Woman Like That and Live It Up scream US rock radio, but this doesn't neuter them. You can easily envision tireless frontman Joel O'Keeffe head-banging and side-changing during No One Fits Me (Better Than You) and the high-energy title track's AC/DC-isms, sweat pouring off his perennially shirtless, slender frame.

Their previous album was bogged down by a lack of variety towards its conclusion, hence this leaner 35-minute attack. Their earnestness, cheesy lyrics (“A mouthful of garter/Is just the starter”) and yes, derivativeness, ensure Airbourne remain an easy target. They've released better records too, but Black Dog Barking is a boisterous aural assault that should justifiably have tears of joy welling up in the eyes of many a rock tragic.