Iron Man 2 (Soundtrack) (2010)


  
 

 1. Shoot to Thrill
 2. Rock 'N' Roll Damnation
 3. Guns For Hire
 4. Cold Hearted Man
 5. Back in Black
 6. Thunderstruck
 7. If You Want Blood (You Got It)
 8. Evil Walks
 9. T.N.T.
 10.Hell Ain't A Bad Place To Be
 11.Have a Drink On Me
 12.The Razor's Edge
 13.Let There Be Rock
 14.War Machine
 15.Highway To Hell

 

Let’s be clear: this isn’t a greatest hits collection. Not technically, anyway. But then again, AC/DC never officially released one, and if ever there were a worthy candidate, this might just be it. Spanning over three decades of the band’s output—from the Bon Scott-led thunder of the mid-'70s to Brian Johnson’s post-Back in Black growl—this compilation does a surprisingly comprehensive job of representing the band’s core sonic DNA, even if it doesn’t tick every box.

The album doubles as a soundtrack to one of the Iron Man films (the second, evidently), but don’t let that fool you. This is AC/DC in raw form, not a tailor-made film score. The music isn't here to service Robert Downey Jr.’s swagger; it's here to thunder through your speakers like a freight train of riffs and grit. From the opening crunch of Shoot to Thrill to the boogie-drenched T.N.T., the sequence of tracks is, for the most part, immaculately chosen. You get the feeling that even the most casual fan would find themselves nodding in agreement as one anthem follows another.

There’s a near-perfect balance between the Bon Scott and Brian Johnson eras. The early tracks—High Voltage, Let There Be Rock, If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It)—show a band that was as much about groove and sleaze as it was about decibels. Scott’s voice, rakish and full of mischief, is irreplaceable. But Johnson, joining the band after Scott’s tragic death, brought a full-throttle energy that defined the group’s stadium-conquering 1980s and beyond. Songs like Back in Black, Thunderstruck, and Rock 'N' Roll Damnation prove just how comfortably he settled into the driver’s seat.

Then there’s the curious inclusion of Cold Hearted Man. It’s the only real misstep—a deep cut from the Powerage sessions that never quite earned a place in AC/DC’s formidable canon, and for good reason. It’s not a disaster, but when surrounded by juggernauts like Hell Ain’t a Bad Place to Be and Hells Bells, its weaknesses are glaring. Still, the track’s rarity might be a draw for completists.

Production-wise, the compilation stays true to AC/DC’s eternal aesthetic: unpolished but punchy. Angus Young’s guitar tone is still all bite and blues; Malcolm’s rhythm work remains one of the tightest engines in rock. There’s no need for sonic upgrades or modern touches. This isn’t music that begs for reinvention—it simply demands to be played loud.

In short, Iron Man 2 is less about Marvel synergy and more a surprisingly sturdy monument to one of rock’s most unwavering institutions. It’s not definitive (how could it be?), but it doesn’t have to be. Like the band itself, it’s loud, relentless, and entirely unapologetic.

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