The first sound on
Back in Black
is the deep, ominous drone of church bells -- or
"Hell's Bells,"
as it were, opening the album and
AC/DC
's next era with a fanfare while ringing a fond farewell to
Bon Scott
, their late lead singer who partied himself straight to hell. But this implies that
is some kind of tribute to
Scott
, which may be true on a superficial level -- black is a funeral cover, hell's bells certainly signify death -- but this isn't filled with mournful songs about the departed. It's a more fitting tribute, actually, since
not only carried on without him, but they delivered a record that to the casual ear sounds like the seamless successor to
Highway to Hell
, right down to how
Brian Johnson
's screech is a dead ringer for
's growl. Most listeners could be forgiven for thinking that
Johnson
was
, but
is different than
Bon
. He's driven by the same obsessions -- sex and drink and
rock & roll
, basically -- but there isn't nearly as much malevolence in his words or attitude as there was with
.
sounded like a criminal,
Brian
sounds like a rowdy scamp throughout
, which helps give it a real party atmosphere. Of course,
shouldn't be given all the credit for
, since
Angus
and
Malcolm
carry on with the song-oriented riffing that made
close to divine. Song for song, they deliver not just mammoth riffs but songs that are anthems, from the greasy
"Shoot to Thrill"
to the pummeling
"Back in Black,"
which pales only next to
"You Shook Me All Night Long,"
the greatest one-night-stand anthem in
rock
history. That tawdry celebration of sex is what made
different from all other
metal
bands -- there was no sword & sorcery, no darkness, just a rowdy party, and they never held a bigger, better party than they did on
. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine