Just when I thought Ozzy Osbourne’s Ordinary Man was the biggest album I’d review all year, here comes AC/DC with the biggest plot twist of 2020. This is a band who, just a few years ago, was for all purposes finished. Malcolm Young passed away after a battle with dementia. Brian Johnson stepped down after battling hearing ailments. Cliff Williams followed because he saw the writing on the wall. And as for Phil Rudd…well, let’s just say the cowards that constitute the general public took offense to his sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll lifestyle. The only one left to pick up the pieces was Angus Young, schoolboy uniform and all.
Fast forward to today. Against all odds, AC/DC is back with their seventeenth studio album, Power Up. Now I know what you’re gonna say. “But Joe! Isn’t it just the same album they’ve been releasing for the last 40 years under a different name?” Pretty much. The same can be said for Motörhead the last 25 years of their career, but nobody’s ready to have that discussion.
You see, I’ve always considered AC/DC and Motörhead to be kindred spirits. Besides sharing the same musical interests and attitude, they’re the two most consistently consistent bands of all time. You know what you’re gonna get and you know it’s gonna be good. Power Up is no exception. There’s no surprises to be found. No collaborations with Top 40 mumble rappers. No modern rock radio wimpouts. No freeform jazz odysseys. Just 12 songs of power chord driven rock n’ roll turned up to 11.
The first thing I noticed about Power Up is its production. From the opening chords of “Realize”, I couldn’t help but realize (no pun intended…okay maybe) the ballsier, in your face approach. It’s still not as raw as I’d prefer it to be, but it’s a step up from the more subdued and, dare I say, polished production of the last couple albums. Lord knows hell would have to freeze over before a major label conglomerate such as Columbia releases an album with the production values of Let There Be Rock (1977) in 2020. I can only assume it was the label’s way of meeting the band (and the fans) halfway.
Furthermore, Brian Johnson’s voice sounds absurdly amazing. He’s always sounded great, but over the last 15 years, you could hear the wear and tear starting to set in. It’s only natural when you’ve been at it as long as he has. That’s not the case on here. The return of Johnson’s 80s vocal delivery is as miraculous as the return of his hearing. He absolutely tears it up on songs like “Systems Down”, “Witch’s Spell”, and “Kick You When You’re Down”.
Most of the songs follow the tried and true AC/DC formula. Rudd and Williams lay down the groove, while the Youngs (Stevie replaced his Uncle Malcolm in 2014) tear it up on the guitars. The riffs are unapologetically big, as are the choruses. Take “Through the Mists of Time” for example. I’m surprised this wasn’t released as a single. It has as poppy a tinge as AC/DC would ever allow, similar to “You Shook Me All Night Long” and “Moneytalks”. Other songs display varying nuances here and there. Some are bluesy, some not so much, but it’s still AC/DC.
My choice cut is “Demon Fire”. It may be a sin to refer to AC/DC as “metal”. The band themselves have vehemently denied this label. That said, on nearly every album, they’ve always had a metal moment or two. “Demon Fire” is Power Up‘s. It’s dark, heavy, and star raving mad. I can’t wait to add this to my “Don’t Get Caught Speeding” playlist.
In the scope of AC/DC’s catalog, Power Up is just as good as Rock or Bust (2014), which was just as good as Black Ice (2008), which was just as good as…you get the idea. But if we look at this album through the lens of 2020, we see a different picture. Power Up is a victory lap, not just for the archetypal hard rock heroes, but for humanity itself. In a year dominated by unexpected death, senseless destruction, and political bullshit, it’s the music of AC/DC that serves as a war cry for all things good.
As we approach the final weeks of 2020, pick up a copy of Power Up. Put it on your turntable or pop it in your CD player. Crack open a cold one and turn the volume knob as far right as possible. If the neighbors complain, let ’em know it ain’t noise pollution. To us, it makes good, good sense.
6 out of 10
Label: Columbia Records
Genre: Hard Rock
For fans of: Aerosmith, Nazareth, Airbourne