Power Up

Power Up is the seventeenth album on which Brian Johnson, Phil Rudd and Cliff Williams gather again and AC/DC dignified returns to its own core. The unchanging design of thick rhythm guitar, a straight beat and shouting vocals is sounded in a modern, powerfully outlined sound. Dedicated to the late Malcolm Young, it is a moving return. Led by the hit “Shot in the Dark,” the songs seek no complex change at all, concentrating on riffs and choruses that move the body at once. From the drive of “Realize” and the melancholy of “Through the Mists of Time” to the speed of “Demon Fire,” every song is full of concise, AC/DC-like strength. That near-clean-handed simplicity is this band’s unwavering strength. With the riffs and ideas left by Malcolm Young, who long supported the band, at the core, it turns his spirit into a powerful energy for moving forward. The sight of the band overcoming grief and continuing to sound unchanging rock and roll is even moving. Proving that, even as veterans, AC/DC remains a one-of-a-kind presence, it is a dignified rock-and-roll record.