AIRBOURNE......The Great Barrier Riff has landed and it hits like a freight train

Some bands play hard rock; others understand exactly why hard rock exists in the first place. Airbourne have never been interested in subtlety, and on their self-titled sixth album, they double down on everything that has made them one of Australia’s great rock exports.

Airbourne is loud, fast, unapologetic and gloriously excessive. It sounds like four musicians plugged in, turned everything up and decided there was absolutely no reason to take their foot off the accelerator.

Recorded at Music Farm Studio in Byron Bay, the album feels distinctly Australian in its DNA. There’s a sense of heat, danger and adventure running through it — an appropriate soundtrack to an album made against tropical storms, dangerous wildlife and vintage studio equipment that apparently had a mind of its own.

From the opening blast of ‘Gutsy’, Airbourne make their intentions crystal clear. This isn't a band looking backwards; it's a band celebrating the very things that made them fall in love with rock in the first place. ‘Alive After Death (Last Plane Out)’ is pure adrenaline, while ‘Kid In A Candy Store’ delivers the kind of irresistible, beer-in-the-air energy that has always made Airbourne such a formidable live act.

Then there's ‘Here She Comes’, co-written with Bryan Adams and Mutt Lange, which finds the band stretching into huge, arena-sized territory without sacrificing their identity. It's big, brash and built for thousands of voices to join in.

But what makes Airbourne work so well is that underneath all the volume and attitude is an obvious sense of purpose. The band set out to make the best record they possibly could, and that ambition is audible throughout. There are no half measures here.

‘Sky High’, ‘Rock ‘N’ Roll Ya’ and ‘Hells Got No Vacancy’ keep the momentum firmly in the red, while ‘Bogotá’ adds another shot of colour to an album already bursting at the seams. And when ‘Send Me To Rock ‘N’ Roll Heaven’ brings things home, it feels less like an ending than a final raised fist.

There are plenty of bands capable of making a loud rock record. Far fewer understand how to make one feel alive.

Airbourne do.

Airbourne is a celebration of guitars, sweat, volume, danger and the communal thrill of rock ’n’ roll. It doesn't apologise for what it is — and nor should it.

The Great Barrier Riff has landed. And it’s bloody loud.

Airbourne are supporting Guns N’ Roses in December in Australia and New Zealand.