AC/DC – Highway to Hell Review

Who’d have thought a hellbound highway would sound this plain? AC/DC is a household name because at the time of their heyday, they were perceived with the same fears that elevated Led Zeppelin to a rebellious status. What the Robert Plant-featuring group had that AC/DC doesn’t, though, is a depth to their music that goes beyond the rigmarole of late ‘70s to early ‘80s rock and roll. Just look to Guns ‘n’ Roses for the worst denomination of that. But then there are exceptional hard rock achievements scattered throughout the 1980s. You need only sink into Metallica or Motörhead to experience those thrills and, to AC/DC’s credit, Highway to Hell is at least catchy. It hasn’t got the fuss of frenetic playing to deal with or the depths that a Rush or occasional Boston track could display. AC/DC is just seeing who can be the loudest in a very loud group, and that does sometimes work. Some songs transcend the objectivity of criticism. Some songs are just cool.  

AC/DC’s title track here is just that. It is as overplayed as they come but it works still. That steady build, pulled together by percussion that matters more than anything else, is fantastic still. What Highway to Hell finds is a formula that works for the band. Those big instrumental blowouts, words that don’t really matter and are there because we need a signal of continuation, it comes together well enough. What many will forget or refuse to see is that the songs which follow Highway to Hell are arguably better. Even when they’re tipped with the regressive sexism and nihilism of the times, they feel relatively well-worked. Girls Got Rhythm is a foot-tapping thrill with some incredible electric guitar work. Steady but never overwhelming the song, at least in that instance. There’s more to come from that side of AC/DC, where they let loose and fail to tie it all together. Instrumental blowout is one word for it, messy and short-changing a listener is another. There’s a rebellious attitude to the context of how songwriting can work spread across Highway to Hell but AC/DC never convinces a listener that their road is worth heading down.  

Walk All Over You and Touch Too Much rely on that title repetition that goes nowhere. Instrumentals, that is what AC/DC relies on so often. Beating Around the Bush feels ironic in comparison then, because that’s what the band does so often here, never quite nailing what they want to say concisely. Quintessential rock and roll sounds, sure, but lacking the emotional thrills and chills associated with the very best. Bon Scott had one hell of a voice, though it never feels like much of a focus here. Instead, Angus Young is given the lion’s share of instrumentally significant moments. Beating Around the Bush is a sensational moment to highlight his skill as a guitarist but it all falls to pieces for AC/DC after that. Shot Down in Flames is hardly the most inspired piece of work, while Night Prowler is a flat end to an album that started with such promise.  

What should be a latter half that has you up in arms with incredible instrumentals just feels off the mark. A relatively underwhelming end which signals the major problem of AC/DC’s discography. They’re, lyrically, hardly capable, but they do have moments of stomping, crowd-friendly music. If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It) feels like a song you can storm into but it has very little in the way of meaning. Still, it’s more the spirit and sense of the times that matters here, rather than any long-lasting lyrical impression. Highway to Hell is a solid rock album to lose yourself in, though once it ends you’ll have no trouble finding yourself again. You can veer off this particular highway with such ease that it feels like a real effort to actively follow the route AC/DC has taken.