In own shadow dormant

Once again, we had so have to wait 5 years for a sign of life of Australians. And this sign of life was "Stiff Upper Lip", my first new release as a fan. Three years earlier I had acquired a taste, now I was 17, and AC / DC were still playing in my adolescence an important role, even if they are in addition to a wide range had to say newly added bands. How many of friends I could not wait, especially since it would bring a world tour with him and thus the opportunity to finally experience the oldest schoolboy of the world live the new AC / DC album. Already the cover hinted: All the same, the iconised Angus Young once again, this time as a statue. The booklet, however, a disappointment: No Lyrics And as it turned out, it would be difficult also have the music to get close to the previous "Ball Breaker" what my AC / DC favorite album is until today, partly for nostalgic reasons, partly due to the high compositional quality.

Produced by George Young, the album sounded at least before, when you make up where you left off with "Ball Breaker". Retrieved from "production" can actually be no question: The sleek, bone-dry sound feels more like, as if one can simply run along the tape recorders in the rehearsal room, in the best sense. The title track has then also the makings of a classic, mischievous and clever, AC / DC at its best. What follows is to make a long story short, a bunch of average songs that are mainly borne by the charm of the band and its long history. Outstanding material is from time to time in approaches available, where "Safe In New York City" pleasantly apart from the rest, and arrive with "Satellite Blues" or "Can not Stop Rock'n'Roll" definitely more than just good ideas ,

But will really ignite the album. Only in his rare moments scattered best, something is missing from the majority of the songs in order to make them direct descendants of earlier exploits It's as calm you a little in your own shadow from. AC / DC are repeatedly praised for its continuity and reliability, in fact, they have no Zeitgeist subject and make music here so confident their retro bar that you could be envious. But you just also noted: need to prove that correct or do not want the old warhorse is. Dear one is content with the recycling of old ideas, like "Damned" for bold Selbstklau will and the riff of "Ball Breaker" 1: 1 takes over, just in a slower pace. What has been preserved is in itself a contagious enthusiasm, and that's half the battle.

It is glorious indeed, like AC / DC defy the zeitgeist, but when the question comes up whether one thus should not be satisfied, I must answer, unfortunately: You should be more entitled to expect from such a large and genre defining band. Of course, "Stiff Upper Lip" is not bad, it has its moments and can make a track as move to Mitgrooven, but compared to its predecessors just yet, a certain creative descent, while they had yet impressively demonstrated with "Ball Breaker", which is still in its old bones stuck. Eight years later on "Black Ice" there now only celebrated boredom, on the other hand is "Stiff Upper Lip" as a charming old gentleman who with his pod from earlier days when everything was better, even the young brats at least for a few moments yet one may delude, but have to fight hard in the long run to the attention of his audience. Charmant definitely, but somehow without too much relevance.

I saw AC / DC in October 2000, in the Frankfurt Festhalle, let me by Brian Johnson cut off the hands and can still remember how I thought during the concert: "That's really cool!" (As with all of the live video that I had seen). And I thank AC / DC, even if it - characteristically - only three numbers from this, then played her current album. I forgive all just four stars, just for the irretrievable charm.