Power Up

Great album

Good album

So, with rumour control casually continuing to suggest a new album and the odd recent sighting of band members in Vancouver adding weight to the claim, you would have thought October's early hints of band activity and sound clips wouldn't have been a surprise but I think to many of us it was. Pow! Mid November - PWR UP smashes into the UK charts at number one and around the world for that matter and the AC/DC campaign smooths through the gears reaching maximum exposure in days not weeks. Would I call it a comeback? I'm not so sure as like many fans, I kinda got used to having only two albums per decade from the band. What do I think of PWR UP?The first single 'Shot in the dark' took a couple of listens to adjust and get used to, but it's quite a ballsy mid tempo effort from Angus and great gang vocals from the rest. Brian Johnson sounds in good form which was promising for the album proper. It sounds like AC/DC because it is, just like supping your favourite pint or eating that medium jalfrezi, you choose it because you like it.'Realize' opens the album and I've got to say it sounds sinister and broody with added swagger. Great guitar work and Brian sounding in top form. This is a great opening number and one I hope will eventually be played live. 'Rejection, 'shot in the dark' and 'Kick you when you're down' follow on and keep a mid tempo pace before 'In the midst of time' slows the pace down slightly. There's plenty written about the latter and what it means to the band. In my opinion, it's pretty subtle and the lyrics are open to interpretation. I won't dissect every song, so other highlights include 'Demon Fire' with its up tempo boogie akin to a ' Caught with your pants down' groove and great vocals from Brian who surely must be over the moon with his own efforts. 'Witches spell' is a mid album highlight, again great riffs from Angus and a sense of urgency with its execution. Every track a foot tapper so far and as we near the end, we get 'Money shot'. I love this track which I feel runs Realize close to being the stand out track. It's catchy, filthy and very singalong-able! Overall, Angus and Co have a winner from start to finish. The riffs are chunky and made my cheeks glow, Brian sounds amazing, Stevie fits like a glove whilst the rhythm section do what they do extremely well. You kinda know it's Phil and Cliff which is reassuring. This album fits nicely with Brian's first three classic efforts (together with Black Ice) and is worthy of the praise it's getting. I can listen to this whole album multiple times with a smile - something not always achieved on previous efforts. The song titling differs from previous recent albums and is devoid of 'Rock' anywhere; but that couldn't be further than the the truth. This album rocks from start to finish, it's new but familiar without ever being complacent. Brian is on top form and Angus has hit pay dirt. Enjoy it!

Back when I was a young chap there was a point when something clicked inside and you became interested in music in a tribal way. This was 70's/80's and at school there were Mods, New Romantics, Punks, Ska, Reggae and of course rock/metal. You were defined by your choice of music and it was deeply important and thus the music of all genres was great. Sadly today it's bilge punted out by a music factory to make a few quid off young girls.And I arrived at my epiphany at just the correct time. Back in Black had just been released and I was 13 and up to that point little interested. Well for me at a mates house about one peel into the tolling bell was like the scene in the Blues Brothers where Joliet saw the light in the church. I was hooked. I mean totally hooked line and sinker and from that millisecond to this one today I have been a massive ACDC fan and hard rock and metal in general. In many ways it has defined my life and my friends. I'm sure many here would be the same.My point being that ACDC is more than 'just a band.' They are something special to many of us and the release of a new album is an event. This one has more weight than most and I approached it with a bit of trepidation. Lets be fair here since Fly On The Wall - and yes I love that album - ACDC's output has not been as good as that golden era in between the late 70's and early 90's. Some massive tracks like Thunderstruck, but no albums that are bangers all the way through. So, I didn't expect this record to be different. I figured a couple of great tracks but mostly okay.Nope. Not a bit of it. This without a doubt is the best album they have put together since Fly. In fact the best way to encapsulate this is that it's ACDC back to the 80's - with better production. It's that good.Every song works. Yep, of course some are better than others but, this is the first time in decades that I've repeat listened to the entire album about 10 times in a row. I absolutely love it.So, opening up with Shot in the Dark sets the tone - nearly... While we always expect straight forward rock this album is a little different. I sense a slight change and there is a varied pace to the music. Yes, there are the usual rock clichés but there is poignancy here too. The guitars have more emotion - which I know sound like guff but I can feel it.The song that nailed it for me was 'Through the Mists of Time.' I welled up if I'm honest because it is an end of the road song. It's the song that say's 'Goodbye.' I know that it's about Malcolm but I also think it's about ACDC. Given their ages, and assuming there will be a tour - God, please let there be a tour - the likes of Brian will be heading towards 80 and one has to be honest about that. I certainly felt that this was a song about the end of an epic run of rock history.If you have tiny bit of rock and roll in your body then this album is an absolute killer.What a way to bow out. It's been a blast. Cheers guys for the music of my life.