Album Review
AC/DC
Power Up
2020
Columbia Records
**** 1/2
Review: Joseph Suto
A very wise friend once told me you can’t really judge an album properly until hearing it at minimum five times. This has been a guideline I still follow to a “T” some thirty years later. Affectionately and appropriately I have deemed this as the Langerman Method in his honor. This ties in perfectly to the new album from AC/DC. Power Up is the band’s latest album and their first since 2014’s Rock Or Bust. After just one listen I could honestly say it is clearly the band’s best complete album since Flick of the Switch. After five listens not only did it click in more but I can back up my claim. Sure, some of the band’s other albums after Flick of The Switch had some great songs but the albums lacked being able to play from beginning to end without skipping some tracks. Not the case here.
All the songs are credited to Angus and Malcolm Young. These songs were born from leftover ideas and demos the band accumulated over the years prior to Malcolm’s death in November 2017. Angus also dedicated the album to Malcolm. The first four songs are about a solid of a start to any AC/DC album I can recall in years. “Realize” is the track that kicks the album off in fine style. “Shot In The Dark” is the first single and it reaches out and grabs you in for the ride. Other standouts from the album include “Through The Mists of Time”, “Code Red” and “No Man’s Land”. The album rocks with a swagger and authority not seen in years from the band.
AC/DC is definitely back with a vengeance. Power Up marks the return of not only vocalist Brian Johnson but also drummer Phil Rudd and bassist Cliff Williams. The three of them had left for various reasons. It appeared that Johnson (hearing loss), Rudd (legal issues) and Williams (retiring due to health issues) would never play with the band again. But the band quietly got together in Vancouver in 2018 and began work on the album. At 73 years old Johnson sounds as good as he did on Back In Black. This album is a must have for any AC/DC fan and when all is said and done will rank among the bands finest work.
