Rock To Raise The Beer Cans To...
Surprisingly it was way back in 2007 that Australia’s Airbourne first crashed the party with their debut ‘Runnin Wild’. Earning every comparison going to AC/DC, and then some, the brothers O’Keefe and their fellow band mates steadily wore down their would-be critics, pummelling them into submission with their furiously infectious and unrelenting riffs that screamed for your approval. Three years down the line and the band are back with their second offering, ‘No Guts. No Glory’, an album that apparently comes with only one prerequisite; if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it. And one thing is for sure, Airbourne are far from being broke.
More like an extension to ‘Runnin Wild’, ‘No Guts. No Glory’ is an avalanche of ferocious riffs; heavy, frantic and screeching alongside feel-good lyrics that ultimately yell to the heart of blue collar workers everywhere. For Airbourne, music needs to be fast, it needs to be loud and what’s more it needs to kneel at the altar of rock and roll, requiring whiskey-soaked fists to punch the air with venom and delight as the four piece crank out tracks that fire on all cylinders. Only with the volume knob cracked to full capacity can Airbourne fully be enjoyed outside the live environment as ‘No Guts. No Glory’ unveils a barrage of three minute masters of unbridled aggression melded to unharnessed rowdy rebellion, from the anthemic surge of ‘Born To Kill’ to the unashamedly infectious ‘No Way But The Hard Way’ its clear that there really is only one speed and one blue print for Airbourne. For many bands this would soon become repetitive, boring even, but somehow Airbourne have made it their trademark. There are no surprises waiting to bombard you, each track is what you would expect, bursting with raucous, debauched rock and roll and it is this which makes ‘No Gut. No Glory’ such an inviting and fun album. Sure, the best way to fully enjoy and marvel at the wonder that is Airbourne is in their natural habitat, on stage where their rip roaring show embraces the madness, the excitement and sheer danger of the band to utter perfection and although sadly ‘No Guts. No Glory’ doesn’t fully capture the true essence of the live arena, it does go some way to fill in the gap before you can get your next hit of beer swilling, fists in the air fun first hand.
Destined to be a staple on every respectable pub juke box from here to their native Australia, Airbourne are here for one purpose only: to rock. With riffs that demand rigorous bursts of air-guitar to be adopted by all, the body crushing beats of the Aussie four-piece simultaneously insists excessive rounds of head-banging to be the ideal accompaniment. And whilst there is nothing new or revolutionary about the music Airbourne creates, there is a great sense of satisfaction and immense fun punching its way out of every track. With one hand cradling a beer can as the other punches the air with anger filled ecstasy, ‘No Guts. No Glory’ will ignite the rocker within us all. Unashamed rock pleasure in its purest form.