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**For Those About To Rock We Salute You**
★★★☆☆

By 1981, AC/DC had already conquered the rock world twice over. They'd survived the tragic loss of Bon Scott and emerged phoenix-like with Brian Johnson's banshee wail propelling "Back in Black" to stratospheric heights. The album had become a cultural juggernaut, selling millions and cementing the Australian thunder gods as the undisputed kings of hard rock. So what do you do for an encore when you've just delivered one of the greatest rock albums ever made? If you're AC/DC, you strap on your guitars, crank the Marshall stacks to eleven, and deliver exactly what everyone expects – more of the same, but louder.

"For Those About To Rock We Salute You" arrived in November 1981 like a cannonball to the chest, quite literally in some cases. The album opens with its thunderous title track, a gladiatorial anthem that transforms every arena into the Roman Colosseum. Malcolm and Angus Young's riffs march forward with military precision while Johnson bellows his battle cry over Phil Rudd's artillery-precise drumming. It's bombastic, ridiculous, and absolutely glorious – peak AC/DC theater complete with actual cannons firing during live performances. The song became their first and only number-one hit in America, proving that sometimes the most obvious approach is the most effective.

But here's where things get complicated. Lightning rarely strikes twice in the same place, and "For Those About To Rock" finds AC/DC grappling with the impossible task of following perfection. Producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange returns to the helm, bringing his meticulous ear for detail and knack for massive hooks, but something feels slightly off-kilter this time around. The band sounds bigger, more polished, yet somehow less urgent than their previous outing.

The album's strength lies in its relentless commitment to the AC/DC formula. "Let's Go" kicks like a mule with its stop-start dynamics and Johnson's primal screams, while "Inject the Venom" slithers with menacing intent, Angus's guitar work sharp enough to draw blood. "Snowballed" delivers exactly what its title promises – a rolling avalanche of riffs that builds momentum with each crushing chord change. These tracks showcase a band operating at the peak of their powers, each member locked into their role with surgical precision.

Yet for every moment of brilliance, there's a corresponding sense that AC/DC might be running on autopilot. "Evil Walks" and "C.O.D." feel like paint-by-numbers exercises, competent but lacking the spark that made "Back in Black" feel so vital and dangerous. The production, while undeniably massive, occasionally threatens to smother the band's natural chemistry under layers of studio gloss. Where "Back in Black" felt like five guys in a room playing their asses off, parts of this album sound constructed rather than born.

Johnson deserves credit for fully inhabiting his role as AC/DC's frontman. His voice, while still carrying echoes of his predecessor, has developed its own character – less bluesy than Scott but equally commanding. On tracks like "Put the Finger on You," he demonstrates remarkable range, shifting from conversational verses to full-throated roars that could wake the dead.

The rhythm section of Malcolm Young, Cliff Williams, and Phil Rudd remains rock-solid, providing the granite foundation upon which Angus builds his guitar monuments. Malcolm's rhythm work, in particular, deserves recognition – his chunky, percussive chord work is the secret weapon that makes AC/DC's seemingly simple songs so devastatingly effective.

Time has been kind to "For Those About To Rock We Salute You," if not quite as generous as it's been to its predecessor. The title track remains a stadium singalong essential, appearing in countless movies, commercials, and sporting events. It's become AC/DC's "We Will Rock You" – a participatory anthem that transforms audiences into armies.

The album represents AC/DC at a crossroads, caught between their scrappy past and their arena-rock future. While it lacks the cohesive power of "Back in Black," it contains enough thunderous moments to remind you why AC/DC remains the gold standard for no-frills rock and roll. Sometimes that's enough. Sometimes you don't need to reinvent the wheel – you just need to make it roll a little louder.