AC/DC's "donkey's ass" kicking upcoming album Black Ice has leaked in full online. The LP is not due for release until 20 October, but was leaked some time yesterday (7 October) onto BitTorrent sites and YouTube.
Previewing entire albums before release has become common practise among bands, as is giving away the odd track as a taster. Oasis streamed Dig Out Your Soul a week before release, and you can already hear Keane's latest offering, too. We're guessing, however, that the Black Ice leak was unintentional.
Undercover News reports that AC/DC's label Sony is attempting to quash the leak by flooding the offending BitTorrent sites with fake files. Illegal downloaders will be faced with long waits and false tracks. Having already lost the WalMart/Black Ice exclusive in the US, we wouldn't put it past Sony to try it.
"THANK YOU for Black Ice!!! PeterDDark, I salute you! =D Still gonna buy it tho +)" A fan
As previously mentioned, the entire album is available to hear on YouTube now, courtesy of one PeterrDDark. How long it lasts before being removed is anyone's guess. In the meantime, at least Sony can take heart from early fan reactions. PeterrDDark, it would seem, is something of a hero among the AC/DC faithful:
"You the man!"
"Hey man, you rock for uploading this."
"THANK YOU for Black Ice!!! PeterDDark, I salute you! =D Still gonna buy it tho +)"
"Me to im from Romania and my favorite groupe is acdc"
Metallica's Death Magnetic was another leakage casualty, and was released early in the UK by the band's label Vertigo as a form of damage limitation. Whether AC/DC and Sony go down the same route remains to be seen, but for CD-buying fans, 12 days is a long time to wait when the rest of the world has downloaded it for nothing.
Update: Black Ice removed from YouTube
Update #1: MusicRadar spoke to a senior representative from Sony USA on the morning of 8 October, 1pm GMT. The representative offered a terse "no comment" before slamming down the phone.
Update #2: 'PeterDDark's YouTube page - previously, with the whole AC/DC Black Ice album streaming - now has dead links. 8pm GMT. Sony's lawyers have, understandably, stepped in.
So, you may heard the new AC/DC album, you may have not.
AC/DC's Black Ice is out to buy on CD from 20 October.
"Despite recording some truly iconic albums that became a huge part of pop culture history, he always felt like one of us": Five seminal records Steve Albini worked on
"Even if the album only had that one track on, it would still be on this list": Humanist's Rob Marshall on the 9 records that changed his life, supporting Depeche Mode in stadiums, and why he'll never switch to digital amp modelling
