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Reclaiming a Monument of Riff-Craft

AC/DC’s Back in Black is a rock monolith, a song so tightly engineered around space, swagger and a granite-solid riff that most covers buckle under its simplicity. Sershen&Zaritskaya, joined by Dmitry Kim and Alex Shturmak, approach it with precision and intent. Their version honors the economy and bite of the original while sharpening the edges with contemporary production and a forceful vocal presence. Recorded, mixed and mastered at Sershen Music Studio by guitarist and producer Sergey Sershen, the cover translates a classic into a present-tense surge, all muscle and momentum.

The Legacy They Tackle

Released as the lead single from AC/DC’s seventh album in December 1980, Back in Black marked the arrival of Brian Johnson and served as a tribute to the late Bon Scott. The track is defined by its opening guitar statement, a riff that underscores the band’s hallmark of power through restraint. It reached number 37 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1981, and decades later reappeared on charts, including number 65 in Australia and number 27 in the United Kingdom in 2012. The band asked Johnson to keep the lyric celebratory rather than morbid, and you can hear that directive in every strut and punch of the song. Any faithful rendition must tap that same celebratory defiance. This cover leans straight into it.

Arrangement That Hits the Pocket

The performance succeeds by resisting the urge to overcomplicate. The tempo sits in the comfortable midrange that lets the riff breathe, with the famous stop-start bars landing with crisp authority. The band pays attention to negative space, preserving the dramatic gaps that are as vital to the song’s identity as the notes themselves.

• Vocals: Daria Zaritskaya delivers with grit and clarity, leaning into the song’s punchline phrasing without parodying Brian Johnson’s signature rasp. She rides the pocket, carves through the mix, and shapes lines like “I’m let loose” with a pointed attack that turns attitude into architecture. Layered backing vocals reinforce the choruses, adding weight without crowding the lead.
• Guitars: Sergey Sershen’s rhythm work is tight and unshowy, which is exactly what Back in Black demands. The riff arrives with a thick, mid-forward crunch, the kind that keeps transients snappy and chords percussive. The solo nods to Angus Young’s phrasing and melodic contour while adding small, tasteful inflections, serving the song rather than turning it into a guitar showcase.
• Bass: Alex Shturmak anchors the groove with a clean, present low end that locks into the kick drum. The lines follow the guitar’s harmonic skeleton, but the articulation gives the backbeat extra definition, pushing the chorus forward with authority.
• Drums: Dmitry Kim keeps the swing intact, emphasizing backbeat placement and the song’s trademark stops. The snare cracks, the kick remains punchy but controlled, and cymbal work stays disciplined, creating the tension-and-release that makes the riff land harder each time it returns.

Production With Contemporary Punch

Recorded, mixed and mastered at Sershen Music Studio, the sonics are modern and muscular without sacrificing the song’s straight-ahead character. Rhythm guitars are tightly double-tracked for width, yet the center image remains uncluttered. The drum kit sits forward, with a focused low end that avoids boom and a snare tuned to cut through distorted guitars. Vocals are placed just ahead of the band, dry enough to keep urgency intact but polished to fit a high-impact rock mix. The mastering favors transient definition and headroom, letting accents snap while preserving the track’s dynamic stabs.

Interpretation: Fidelity With a Personal Stamp

This version thrives on balance. It is faithful where it counts, preserving the riff’s architecture, the verse-to-chorus escalation, and the song’s sense of celebration. Yet it brings a personal stamp through vocal timbre and modernized dynamics. The lead voice reframes the defiance of the lyric, sidestepping mimicry and replacing it with a focused, contemporary attack. Small arrangement decisions—chorus layers, the contour of the solo, the taut drum articulation—demonstrate respect for the original while subtly recontextualizing it for a present-day rock audience.

Why Back in Black Still Connects

The enduring power of Back in Black is its discipline. The song is built on negative space, call-and-response between riff and rhythm, and a vocal that treats attitude as meter. It is a masterclass in doing more with less. Covers succeed when they honor those mechanics, and this rendition does exactly that. The pocket is tight, the riff is king, and the celebratory spirit remains unmistakable.

Credits

• Vocals: Daria Zaritskaya
• Guitars: Sergey Sershen
• Bass: Alex Shturmak
• Drums: Dmitry Kim
• Recorded, mixed and mastered at: Sershen Music Studio by Sergey Sershen