10 Metal Albums That Shouldn't Have Been Great (But Totally Were)
3. AC/DC - Back In Black
Labelling Back in Black (1980) as a metal record is a bit of a stretch, granted; yet its backstory is one too inspiring and odd-defying to ignore.
Mere months before the album's release, the band's lead singer, Bon Scott, would pass away. A pioneer of hard rock and a constant purveyor of charismatic, rebel-without-a-cause attitude, it was hard to imagine AC/DC moving on without the Australian lunatic.
However, they did so. And the end result is a record filled to the brim with radio rock bangers that paid tribute to Scott in the best way: with a flurry of riffs, roars and infectious melodies. Brian Johnson takes the mic with a swagger very much his own, but at the same time his high-pitched register is doubtlessly similar to the man that had come before him.
Similar and different to old-school 'DC in just the right amounts, Back in Black is quite possibly the last great album to be made by these hellraisers from down under.