The best of the new rock CDs

Aside from being out and out, totally unpretentious rockers, the CDs Black Ice by AC/DC, Chinese Democracy by Guns N’ Roses, Dark Horse by Nickelback and Dig Out Your Soul by Oasis share other things in common.

They may come from various eras but artists Guns N’Roses, AC/DC, Nickelback and Oasis can all be described as big rock acts or are among the biggest rock acts of all time. And it was certainly a nice coincidence to find the media describing each of their new CDs as “the most awaited album of the year.”

I do not know if those CDs were indeed the most awaited ever. But that does not matter. All of the albums are now in the stores and it is now up to us, listeners to decide if they were indeed worth waiting for and if they live up to the iconic earlier releases from these very important bands.

Chinese Democracy by Guns N’ Roses. This one took a long 17 years to make. That was how long it took Axl Rose to form a new band that he could call Guns N’ Roses. The bandmates with whom he did the great Appetite for Destruction, now call themselves Velvet Revolver. Axl always assures fans of a good show so I say this one is worth the wait.

I forgot to check if he still has the hair but this CD is the latest proof that nobody snarls and purrs as powerfully as Axl. This one is rock music in the classic style, think Pink Floyd, but with little touches throughout that makes the package most interesting. Listen for the choir in There Was a Time and the sweet Spanish guitar in If the World.

Black Ice by AC/DC. AC/DC is Australian and big. Big here, means being mentioned in the same breath as the Rolling Stones. So you can really believe that Black Ice, which took eight years to do was a “most anticipated album.” It was certainly worth the wait. AC/DC rocks hard in every cut but amazingly, creates no noise.

The music is loud but the musicianship is excellent. You hear everything with such clarity and all the notes are in the right places. Credit that to the brothers Young, Angus and Malcolm on guitars, drummer Phil Rudd and bassist Cliff Williams. They have not lost their touch after 40 years. Vocalist is Brian Johnson, who is in his early ’60s and sounds fantastic.

Strangely, the cuts with Rock in the titles come off best. Rock N’ Roll Train, She Likes Rock N’ Roll, Rock N’ Roll Dream, Rocking All the Way plus Black Ice.

Dark Horse by Nickelback. While AC/DC and Guns N’ Roses have stayed true to the rock sounds of their early days, Nickelback was out doing some experiments. These guys who are many, many years younger than AC/DC or Axl have adopted a smoother style for their music. I hear shades of a future matchbox20 and fans do not seem to be complaining as Dark Horse has been among the big sellers for weeks now.

Best are the true-blue rockers Burn It to the Ground, Next Go Round and Shakin’ Hands. This sort is what they do very well. Leaning heavily towards the pop side is Gotta Be Somebody, which must be the most commercial of the lot. And if you like ballads, they have Never Gonna Be Alone.

Dig Out Your Soul by Oasis. Melody is what the brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher do best. That was why Oasis got compared to the Beatles. Current output is still up there after seven albums despite many personnel changes in the band over the years. Like Nickelback they have also introduced some changes. Nothing really earthshaking but you do hear hints of mainstream pop, most particularly in the ballad I’m Outtatime and in the peppy Get Off Your High Horse Lady.

Is this a sign of maturity or just a lapse into predictability? It depends on who you are. Fans used to the hard-hitting attitude of the old days and whose ears remain in a loud rock mode might complain. The Turning and Waiting for the Rapture are for them. But those who have just now discovered Oasis would be pleased to find out that these guys can really make music as in The Shock of the Lightning, The Nature of Reality and Soldier On.

Rockers out there would do themselves a lot of good by scoring copies of these CDs and learning from the masters of the art of rock. It is at its most basic, still music, not noise.