AC/DC

AC/DC are the quintessential Australian hard rock powerhouse, formed in Sydney in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Emerging from the pub-rock circuits with a relentless, riff-driven approach, their music fused blues-based guitar lines with thunderous rhythm sections to create a sound that was both brutal and irresistibly catchy. Their early releases and international breakthrough singles—such as High Voltage and TNT—built a global fanbase and set the template for what a two-guitar hard rock outfit could sound like on a stadium scale. The band’s no-nonsense energy, the twin guitar attack of the Young brothers, and a focus on punchy riffs instead of technical showmanship became a blueprint for countless riff-based acts and a cornerstone of classic rock pedagogy.

Tragically, singer Bon Scott died in 1980, and Brian Johnson joined soon after. The band answered with Back in Black, produced by Malcolm and Angus, which became one of the best-selling albums of all time and cemented AC/DC as a worldwide phenomenon. Over more than four decades, the band has sold over 200 million records, earned multiple awards, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003. With Angus’s electrifying stage presence, Malcolm’s unflinching rhythm, and a catalog built on simple, devastating riffs, AC/DC defined a raw, high-energy strain of rock that continues to shape how guitarists approach riffs, rhythm, and groove.