AC/DC
Highway To Hell

Beautiful, well-crafted, decent, adequate: these are adjectives that can be used to describe any album. But not in this case: we are, in fact, facing something historic, immortal, a true Milestone. We are talking about Highway To Hell, one of the most representative albums by AC/DC, certainly one of the best three or four produced by the Australian band in its decades-long career. With this album, Angus Young and company show the world what it means to play Rock 'n' Roll in a powerful and convincing way, with an energy that is the band's trademark; unfortunately, however, it is also the last album composed with the company's first historical singer, Bon Scott, who passed away shortly after and was replaced by the equally talented Brian Johnson.

Highway to Hell greets the listener with the historic title track, a true gem of global Hard Rock: the piece is very well paced, with riffs that are not too over the top but incredibly engaging; Bon delivers an excellent performance, leading us to the great chorus, simple yet unique. Angus is exceptional, especially in the solo, as are the other band members. Fast and lively guitar riffs introduce Girls Got Rhythm, the second track, which, although not boasting a great melody, provides a great charge, in the best tradition of the Australian band. Walk All Over You is instead introduced by a notably slower start but is as quick as the previous ones, even though the slowness and heaviness of the introduction come back, especially in the chorus. But when new, magnetic, and compelling riffs reach our ears, it's time for the album's second gem, Touch Too Much: a piece with great rhythm, which explodes in the magnificently and superbly played and sung chorus; excellent solo, backing vocals, and the vocal/sound interplay make the piece untouchable. We now arrive at Beating Around the Bush, immediately fast and aggressive, with perhaps slightly more shouted vocals compared to the other tracks. After listening to Shot Down In Flames, characterized by very pronounced riffs, and the less aggressive but equally very rhythmic Get It Hot, it's time for If You Want Blood (You've Got It), the third unmatched song on the album: powerful, determined, with a great solo and an excellent performance (as always) by all the band members; particularly fitting are the backing vocals in the chorus. The masterpiece concludes with two slower and pathos-rich songs: Love Hungry Man, light and romantic (can AC/DC be romantic?), and Night Prowler, even slower than the previous one, dominated this time by the Lead Guitar and with a chorus that drags slowly but engagingly.

So, what to say? It's an album that disproves the eternal critics of AC/DC, who claim that the only thing that changes in their albums are the song titles, as the music remains the same. Here, instead, although the musical tones and scales used are indeed similar, the tracks are quite distinct from one another, while still maintaining the band's characteristic style. An album that ABSOLUTELY must be included in the collection of anyone who listens to Rock 'n' Roll and Rock in general, to be bought with eyes closed, as it is a fundamental milestone in the career of the historic Australian Band.