“Black Ice” is not a comeback, a reinvention or even ground breaking. It’s just a good old-fashioned AC/DC album.

The band’s most notable work off “Highway to Hell” and “Back in Black” are the musical equivalent of swift kick to the jaw: they get straight to the point. “Black Ice” feels a lot more like hanging out on a Saturday having a few beers with some really good old friends you haven’t seen in years.

Speaking of which, this is the first new material from the band since 2000.

AC/DC delivers on the quantity front as the album runs a bit too long; another three or four songs would have qualified it as a double LP. However, because almost a decade passed since the band’s last release, the nearly hour-long length of “Black Ice” is forgivable.

The fact AC/DC will not receive any awards for creativity on this outing – four of the song titles use a variation of the word “rock” – should be taken as mixed blessing. The album at least satisfies the fans’ taste for some new material.

The songs on “Black Ice” all use consistent, moderate tempo and most of the songs rely on simple swing beats. The lack of changes in tempo, beat and guitar timbre contributes to very little song variation on the album.

In the band’s defense, the Young brothers still do an excellent job with percussive rhythm guitar parts and practical, yet complex, guitar solos.

However, the duo still have a few surprises up their sleeves. The song “Stormy May Day” uses a guitar slide to mix things up.

“Decibel” is one of the more surprising tracks that shows the band can still tweak its sound. The song features a creeping, building guitar track similar to “Hells Bells.” However, the song pulls a few punches with a funky beat, some vocal variation and distinct jazz-scale licks in the rhythm guitar part.

The band made a good decision when selecting “Rock ‘N’ Roll Train” as the lead single as it is a perfect reminder of how fun rock music should be.

The rest of the album consists of tracks (“Skies on Fire,” “Big Jack, War Machine,” “She Likes Rock ‘N’ Roll,” ) that carry on the vibe of “Rock ‘N’ Roll Train” as fun rock tunes. However, the consistent song composition on “Black Ice” is both the album’s greatest strength and greatest weakness.

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