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“Black Ice” sounds a lot like every other album AC/DC has made since its 1980 landmark set “Back in Black”—thank god.

Taking a page from the “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” school of thought, the veteran rockers have rolled out a collection that, in fact, seems to intentionally evoke “Back in Black,” right down to its all-black cover and the not-so-subtle appearance of the word “Black” in the title.

Upon first listen, the effect is actually anti-climactic and underwhelming; it’s the identical sound that the group has maintained for almost three decades, but showcased in the form of songs with which there does not yet exist a “You Shook Me All Night Long”-like emotional connection. A half-dozen listens later, the new cuts start to feel like old friends.

Most responsible for the instant familiarity are the six-string antics of the band’s chief songwriters, brothers Angus and Malcom Young—who should be granted honorary doctorate degrees for Rock Riffology—and frontman Brian Johnson, whose ability to still deliver those gravelly, tortured-sounding, come-play-with-the-devil vocals are a testament to the durability of the human vocal cords.

An exercise in futility: listening to “Black Ice” and not picturing Angus hopping around the stage in his classic schoolboy outfit while shredding a solo on his signature red Gibson, or entertaining the thought that Johnson wasn’t wearing blue jeans, a black tank top and an Irish tweed cap while delivering his vocals with biceps flexed and face contorted during the recording sessions.

And just in case you weren’t sure where the band’s allegiance lies: three of the albums tracks contain the term “Rock ‘n’ Roll,” with the cut “Rocking All the Way” thrown in for good measure. It would be comical if not for the fact that the group has been walking the walk for 30 years now.

Clocking in at nearly an hour, and sporting a more-than-ample 15 songs—most of which fall shy of the four-minute mark—”Black Ice” does, admittedly, contain some filler, but the band deserves points for not calling it a day after putting nine or 10 cuts in the can, and standouts such as “Decibel” (a dirty, blues-tinged number with an infectious groove) and “War Machine” (think “Givin’ the Dog A Bone”) offset any stragglers in the pack.

Will fans grow to love the “Black Ice” gems as much as those classic “Back in Black” tracks? We’ll have to wait a few decades to know for sure—but it’s a safe bet that, at the very least, longtime devotees will find comfort in AC/DC’s well-executed sameness.