It’s been six years since the Australian rock band AC/DC has released an album, and on Nov. 13, it released its newest album for fans to listen to called “Power Up.” Does AC/DC still have that same spark in their music that fans loved so much since their early days in the 70s, or will its newer music just not be the same as its older work?

The album starts off hot with the first song on the track list,“Realize.” Listening to this song gives hope to anyone who’s been a long time fan of AC/DC that this album will be a good one. From the guitar, the bass, to the drums and even the vocals, this song is a solid way to start off the album. 

While it’s not the best song in the album, “Realize” is still a solid track and it sets a rocking tone for the fans to get ready to enjoy the next 11 songs to play on the rest of the album. 

Despite the fact that “Realize” is on a newly released album, listening to this first song, people can tell this is a song from AC/DC with the recognizable singing voice of Brian Johnson, which makes this album even better. It’s so great to see Johnson back with AC/DC and making music with the band after he left in 2016 due to hearing problems.

Another noteworthy track on this album is “Shot in the Dark,” which was also the preview for “Power Up” when AC/DC’s Youtube channel uploaded the full song on Oct. 26 to promote the new album. This song is one of the more stronger ones in this album, as I found myself enjoying this one more and being one of those songs I would listen to more than once after first hearing it. It’s a great song that’ll be hard to get out of your head after you listen to it the first time.

What I’ve noticed with this album is that, while what I’ve listened to does sound great, not every song really connects or strikes me as a favorite. Songs like “Rejection” and “Witch’s Spell” really didn’t feel all that great. While not terrible songs, they just didn’t have that feeling that made me want to listen to them again as they did feel a little flat. Those songs felt more average than great. 

Some songs on this album really feel like that; they’re either hit or miss and it’ll vary for some people depending on what they like more. While some of the songs on“Power Up” are good, not every song can be compared to AC/DC’s older work and how legendary its older albums were years ago. 

One of the best songs on this album is “Demon Fire.” If ever there was a song to add to a playlist of perfect road trip songs, this would be the one It’s a song that can energize anyone who loves to drive on the open road and the lyrics fire them up to just push the pedal to the metal: 

“He loves to drive ’em crazy / With his evil lips / Great guns are blazin’ / What a deadly trip.”

Without a doubt, “Demon Fire” is one of—if not the very best song on “Power Up”—as this is the song that really gets people fired up when they listen to it. 

Another song that really stood out was “Through the Mist of Time.” This song is just an overall good song, as you can feel the emotions in the lyrics sung by Johnson, to the great guitar solo by AC/DC’s lead guitarist, Angus Young.

This band has been playing and making music for 47 years, and most music groups by now would’ve just retired and enjoyed the money they made off their old music. Not AC/DC, as they proved that age is just a number in the world of rock n’ roll. 

While “Power Up” isn’t by any means AC/DC’s best album, this band came back to make more music and proved it can still make rock music sound awesome. If you are a lifelong fan of AC/DC, or someone who wants to explore the rock music genre, then “Power Up” would be a good album to look into. Not anything spectacular, but a very solid album from a great rock band.