Here they come again – the first new music from AC/DC in six years is good metal for 2020.

Rock Or Bust  came out in 2014, and we’ve been waiting since then to see whether there would be new music from the iconic Australian Hard Rock band. Question answered. Power Up is true to form heavy hitting riff medicine.

Every fan of the band has a favorite or two. My short list is creeping up to ten. I saw AC/DC one summer in Indianapolis at an outdoor venue during the For Those About To Rock We Salute You tour. The highlight for me that night was “Whole Lotta Rosie,” one of my favorites anyway but I never thought they’d play it. The performance was astonishing, visually completed by a large blow-up Rosie behind the band. I have seen them other times but that one summer night sticks in my mind. There are so many killer songs … “Kicked In The Teeth,” “Gimme A Bullet,” “Problem Child,” … it is a long list. And then there are all the radio tunes that were smash hits. The impact AC/DC has had on heavy music, and popular music, cannot be denied.

The singles from the new one are “Shot In The Dark” and “Realize,” and they punch just like AC/DC radio songs always do. Great hooks and heavy riffs, catchy choruses. Check, check, check. It’s a formula you hear on many of the other songs, too, naturally, like “Why Do They Kick You When You’re Down,” “Wild Reputation,” and so on. But that is not all that is here. “Through The Mists Of Time” is almost sentimental in its tone, “Witch’s Spell” has a wicked, cracking little lead break, and “Code Red” combines a nostalgic throwback riff with a new roller that celebrates the confluence of history with modernity. The songs are short with only one reaching to the four minute mark and they are all designed to grab you attention. They always do, from the first to the last.

The album is out now and available everywhere. The story has been told in interviews and articles that AC/DC has tons of music sitting around unreleased. Maybe we’ll get more soon. If it is as good as Power Up, I can’t wait to hear it. Recommended.

Band photo by Josh Cheuse.

Link.

website, https://pwrup.acdc.com/