A tribute to rock & roll legends

Magnetic Eye Records have released yet another extraordinary tribute album, this time for one of the greatest rock and roll albums. This album is composed of insane covers by various artists, each paying homage to the legendary band AC/DC and their fan-favorite album Back In Black. Back In Black was AC/DC’s first record to feature vocalist Brian Johnson after the death of the great Bon Scott. Magnetic Eye Record’s Back In Black album falls under their Redux series and features artists such as Howling Giant, Early Man, Red Fang and more.

The album kicks off with Red Fang’s rendition of “Hells Bells.” Red Fang makes this track their own as they include their distinct sound throughout the cover, focusing more on a psychedelic and sludge metal sound than in the original version. This might be a hard pill to swallow as the opening for a tribute album, as it is definitely a rendition of AC/DC one would not expect. The album continues with a hard rock momentum in “Shoot to Thrill,” covered by Howling Giant and Udo. The cover features the classic AC/DC raspy vocals and immense passionate energy. This interpretation also includes incredible guitar solos that AC/DC themselves would groove to.

Just like any other tribute album, it includes both hard hitters that are quite impressive as well as other tracks that are not so great. For example, Heavy Temple’s rendition of “Let Me Put My Love Into You” poorly sticks out. There seems to be no effort nor passion exerted, and the only thing remotely saving the cover is the guitars. Additionally, props to Besvärjelsen for attempting something new with “Back in Black,” but sadly, it is a huge flop, lacking the passion and soulful energy AC/DC put into the original track. The title track—especially one that fans love the most—is not a song to change up. Likewise, Jakethehawk also botched their cover of “You Shook Me All Night.” Jakethehawk recorded the cover as if it were one of their own heavy psych and doom metal tracks, completely taking the life out of the original track. AC/DC carries a great deal of contagious energy and passion in every track of Back In Black, but these examples show that certain tracks should just not be altered, regardless of when they take part in tribute albums.

As stated before, there are also high points to the album. Supersuckers’ “What Do You Do for Money Honey” is one that positively stands out as they manage to pay tribute to the rock legends of AC/DC yet still incorporate a bit of their own sound. Ending on another high note, Back In Black Redux concludes with a spectacular cover of “Rock and Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution” by Earthride. The cover runs as a mere replicate of the original, with only a few tweaks here and there. This closer successfully finishes the album with a great deal of appreciation to the legendary music of AC/DC.

Though it is clear that Magnetic Eye Records and all of the artists involved put a lot of effort into this Redux album as a tribute to one of the greatest rock and roll bands and albums, the mixed success of this collaboration proves that nothing comes close to the original AC/DC Back In Black album.