Airbourne – No Guts, No Glory
Release Date: April 20, 2010
Highlights: Born To Kill, Blonde Bad & Beautiful, Steel Town, Get Busy Livin’, Back On The Bottle
There is something very familiar yet very comfortable about Airbourne. From the opening riff of the first song “Born To Kill” from their “No Guts, No Glory” album, it’s apparent that I’ve been here before. It’s a sort of musical deja vu so to speak. There’s no denying that these guys are wearing their biggest influence on their sleeve but they aren’t trying to hide it. “No Guts, No Glory” is just pure, nasty in your face rock and roll. It’s nearly impossible to not like this band unless you absolutely hate AC/DC. As much as I hate to say that, it’s true. If you have no love for AC/DC than it’s a damn good chance you are not going to like this. If you are a fan of AC/DC’s no frills, balls to the wall Rock & Roll, then you’re gonna love every note of this.
While Airbourne has definitely forged the sound of their heroes, the songs are all theirs. This is where it makes or breaks you. If you sound like a band but you can’t deliver good songs, than you are just a soundalike. Airbourne delivers a set of songs on “No Guts, No Glory” that stand tall and proud on their own. Singer/Lead Guitarist Joel O’Keefe’s vocals are cocky and full of attitude as he grinds through songs like “Blonde, Bad and Beautiful” and “White Line Fever” and even gives us a dose of pure nasty guitar playing on “It Aint Over Till It’s Over.” It pure testosterone fueled Rock & Roll that in my opinion is a much missed thing these days. It’s such a refreshing thing to hear a band that wants to just flat out fuck as opposed to swoon and make love. I remember reading where Ozzy Osbourne said that Rock and Roll was like fucking. This is what rock and roll is about. Nasty, sweaty, dirty and in your face.
Airbourne has channeled the greats to bring it back to the forefront and prove to the masses that REAL Rock & Roll can is still alive and well. The album has so many highlights but it’s “Steel Town” that really captured my attention. “Living in a Steel Town free and proud! Workin’ in a Steal Town, my hometown” gives you a glimpse into the life that these guys have come from. It was a really awesome tribute to their roots. “Get Busy Livin'” is an anthem of huge proportions that pretty much sums up the Rock & Roll way that many seem to have forgotten over the years. “The damage is done so let’s drink it up…Get busy livin’, or get busy dyin’.” Just hearing this song made me smile ear to ear as I realized that sometimes even I forget this simple but important lesson. It’s almost as if Airbourne are prophets sent back to us to remember to do things like “Live till I die, drink and get high every day!” Can someone point me in the direction of these guys? I think I need to hang with them a bit.
Airbourne to me is like moving to a new town but finding a place that reminds you of something in your past that made you feel comfortable. In a time where the face of music has changed so drastically (even Heavy Metal/Hard Rock music), it’s always comforting to find a band that can take you back. You don’t have to be a brain surgeon to get Airbourne. The songs are played for you and to you, not over. There is nothing pretentious or over indulgent about “No Guts, No Glory.” It’s all about gritty, nasty and real Rock & Roll music. It’s kind of like playing in the mud as a kid. When mom would tell you to come in and get cleaned up, you just wanted to tell her, “Mom, it’s so much fun being dirty.” Airbourne is having the times of their lives and they are bringing the good time to each and everyone willing to take it in! Listening to “No Guts, No Glory” is like sitting around, drinking beer and partying with friends that you’ve grown up with. Airbourne makes you feel like you’ve known them and have been listening to them for 20 something years. I say crank this one up to “11”, forget about the hassles of the world outside and enjoy the simple things for just a bit! Get Airbourne!
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