Rock or Bust
by AC/DC
  • Record Label: Columbia
  • Release Date: Dec 2, 2014
Metascore
75

Generally favorable reviews - based on 22 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 22
  3. Negative: 0 out of 22
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  1. AllMusic
    Dec 4, 2014
    80
    It may be no different than what came before, but Rock or Bust is by many measures stronger than most latter-day AC/DC albums, serving as a testament to why their good-humored raunch and industrial-strength riffs made them a rock & roll institution.
  2. Boston Globe
    Dec 2, 2014
    70
    Rock or Bust is a solid, if short, sharp shock.
  3. Clash Music
    Dec 4, 2014
    70
    Sure, it's not all killer.... But still, this is AC/DC: an unstoppable volcanic force, a group that seems to weather every obstacle placed in its way.
  5. Classic Rock Magazine
    Dec 16, 2014
    80
    Rock Or Bust is actually a very lean piece of work. [Jan 2015, p.114]
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  6. Drowned In Sound
    Dec 8, 2014
    70
    It’s not great, it’s not touching, it’s not... well it’s not anything but autopilot AC/DC, as they have been for many years now and it’s none the worse for that.
  7. Exclaim
    Dec 1, 2014
    60
    Rather than phoning in the record fans expect, AC/DC made one that suits their own needs.
  8. Kerrang!
    Dec 16, 2014
    80
    This is an AC/DC record as lusty as they come. [22 Nov 2014, p.50]
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  9. Mojo
    Dec 17, 2014
    60
    While Rock Or Bust doesn't come close to that benchmark [1980's Back In Black], nor does it disgrace Young's legacy. [Jan 2015, p.95]
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  10. musicOMH.com
    Dec 2, 2014
    70
    You might feel like you’ve heard it all before, and you probably have, but it’ll still rock.
  11. New Musical Express (NME)
    Nov 25, 2014
    70
    AC/DC’s first album without their founding member is a crisp Brendan O’Brien-produced musical wrecking ball.
  12. New York Daily News (Jim Faber)
    Nov 25, 2014
    80
    At under 35 minutes, Rock or Bust is the shortest AD/DC album ever. Rest assured, however, this short album is no less sweet.
  13. NOW Magazine
    Dec 11, 2014
    60
    They certainly keep up appearances on their 15th album, their troubles not for a second interfering with these 11 songs, the longest of which lasts three minutes and 41 seconds.
  14. Paste Magazine
    Dec 2, 2014
    85
    Rock or Bust is the best LP that AC/DC has produced in over 20 years.
  15. PopMatters
    Dec 2, 2014
    70
    Rock or Bust should not be a disappointment if you like the sort of output AC/DC usually deliver, namely hard rock which is not too grimy or scary.
  16. Q Magazine
    Dec 8, 2014
    80
    The lesson: it's us who change, not AC/DC, nor indeed rock itself. Our mistake. Rave on, Malcolm. [Jan 2015, p.120]
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  17. Rolling Stone
    Dec 2, 2014
    70
    Now they've pummeled out another disc that fits right into their discography, even without rhythm guitarist Malcolm Young, who has bowed out due to a debilitating illness.
  18. The A.V. Club
    Dec 2, 2014
    75
    All these years later, AC/DC is still able to deliver on the simple, singular promise embedded into the very fabric of its makeup as a band—they do, indeed, rock. Nothing more, nothing less.
  19. The Guardian
    Nov 25, 2014
    60
    Too many songs lack any manipulation of the formula: there’s too much meat-and-potatoes riff-and-chorus, not enough little extras.
  20. The New York Times
    Dec 1, 2014
    70
    There’s not a thing you haven’t heard before in its 11 new songs. What’s important is that they have the band’s traceable fingerprints all over them.
  21. The Observer (UK)
    Dec 1, 2014
    80
    Rock Or Bust isn’t nearly as monumental as Back in Black--few albums are--but for a band that really do go through motions, you don’t for a moment feel AC/DC are dialling it in.
  22. The Telegraph (UK)
    Dec 1, 2014
    60
    Although what follows isn’t all as good as the opener, it’s solid, vertebrae-jolting stuff, often recycling old themes and melodies.
  23. Uncut
    Nov 26, 2014
    80
    This album is heavy because it's dense with detail. [Jan 2015, p.63]
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Awards & Rankings

71
#71 Most Discussed Album of 2014

User Reviews

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User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 55 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 45 out of 55
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 55
  3. Negative: 3 out of 55
  1. ryanjohn82
    Dec 2, 2014
    10
    My first AC/DC album to purchase with my own money was Black Ice. I was 15 then. They say that as you age, AC/DC's music becomes lessMy first AC/DC album to purchase with my own money was Black Ice. I was 15 then. They say that as you age, AC/DC's music becomes less appealing, but hear I sit, at 21 years old, having now purchased every AC/DC album available,and I can't stop playing Rock Or Bust. At 11 songs at 35 minutes, Rock or Bust represents everything that AC/DC is about, the rock n' roll equivalent of eating a home cooked meal after being away for weeks. AC/DC isn't about showing you how much you've grown up, but about showing you how much fun it is to block out everything and listen to some high voltage rock n' roll. Nobody is better at that than AC/DC, and nobody ever will be, and for that, AC/DC, I salute you.
    Highlights-Rock or Bust, Got Some Rock n' Roll Thunder, Rock the House, Sweet Candy, and Rock the Blues Away    … Full Review »
  2. FizzMo
    Dec 4, 2014
    9
    Thank God the boys made exactly the same album again, for the 15th time. After a period in the 80's where the content and production weakenedThank God the boys made exactly the same album again, for the 15th time. After a period in the 80's where the content and production weakened (although I still like "Flick of the Switch" a lot) things got better with "The Razor's Edge", and "Ballbreaker" really blew the doors open again.

    Can't help but think that "Ballbreaker" was the first album Phil Rudd had been on since "Flick". The albums have been pretty consistent since then. He's not "just" a drummer. I assume he's really on this one, and wasn't just credited.

    Regardless, this is a good one. The length isn't a problem. In fact, it should be a rule that AC/DC albums are 10 songs maximum. This one is 11, but the length is 35 minutes, so I'll give them a pass. In vinyl days, you had 18 minutes a side (if you wanted it loud) and this fits. Why make an album longer than it needs to be just because the media allows more? Nice job, boys.

    This is maybe the 2nd best album Brian's on. Yes, it's better than "For Those About To Rock".

    Buy it. Now.    … Full Review »
  3. gmahler
    Dec 2, 2014
    10
    Man, is this disc strong! At only 35 mins, it had well better not have any filler, and it doesn't. 11 trax, 11 singles! Lean and mean andMan, is this disc strong! At only 35 mins, it had well better not have any filler, and it doesn't. 11 trax, 11 singles! Lean and mean and stronger than an AC/DC album in 2014 has any right to be. A near perfect rock album.… Full Review »
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