Album Review: "Breakin' Outta Hell" by Airbourne

For the most part I try to approach these album reviews with some sort of journalistic objectivity.  Often I am not familiar with the band and have never heard the songs nor anyone else’s opinion of them before reviewing.  

This is not true of Airbourne, as I had the opportunity to see one of their famous live performances in August on the opening leg of their Breaking Out of Hell tour in Bergen, Norway.  (You can read my review of this show elsewhere on Glacially Muscial.)  So before the new album even arrived in my in-box they had already completely won me over.   

I went into this album already knowing at least the title track was top notch rock-n-roll.  The only question was would the rest of the album  live up to what I had already heard.  The answer is yes.

It bears repeating from my first postings on Airbourne, they are heavily influenced by their countrymen AC/DC.   There is no shame in this.  There is plenty of room in the world for more raw power hard rock anthems of this type.  As AC/DC sails off into the sunset, Airbourne, in every manner, is their heir apparent.  Fittingly, the album was recorded and mixed in Australia, and it seems to have harnessed the magical aura of Angus and the boys.

Airbourne in Bergen, Norway-Photo by Danny Nichols

These songs are about drinking beer, chasing skirt and being rowdy, which have largely become lost topics in today's musical landscape.  

I am not sure there is currently a band which can be accurately described as the bad boys of rock, but with this album Airbourne have submitted their application for the title.  

I do not want to be "standing drunk in the middle of the road, directing traffic like a ninja" as Airbourne sings in "When I Drink I Go Crazy", but I sure do want to hear a song about it.  This band has a never ending string of crunchy four chord riffs so great you will wonder why no one had ever written them before.  

The drums provide clear instructions on when you should pump your fist to the galloping rhythms, to the point where it is dangerous to listen while driving. 

Airbourne, with their original line-up remaining intact, delivers their grooving infectious choruses, with every song suitable not only for live performance, but for an encore closer. 

The album serves as a tribute to rock.  With songs such as "It's Never Too Loud For Me", "Rocked Like This" and "It's All For Rock-n-Roll" triumphantly living up to their titles.  The later of those being written about the great Lemmy Kilmister.  Another stand out track is the irreverent, but undeniably thundering, "Down On You".    

The riffs are as relentless and the vocals as snarled as we have come to expect from Airbourne.  

In a mission statement, which perhaps more bands should echo, frontman Joel O'Keeffe declared they wanted to create an album which "kicks ass from start to finish".  This means you won't find a slow love song anywhere on Breakin' Outta Hell.   "No ballads, no bullshit", states O'Keefee.   These four words should be on a sticker which is placed on the CD jewel case of this album. 

Airbourne Facebook

Record Label: Spinefarm Records
Release Date: Out now
Genre: Hard Rock