The band is called
Power, the album is titled
Electric Glitter Boogie, and in both cases, this is truth in advertising if there ever was such a thing. A trio from Melbourne, Australia,
Power play loud and proud hard rock with massive volume, king-sized riffs, and practically nothing in the way of frills or subtlety. While there are hints of junkshop glam and '70s boogie rock running through these eight songs (and the guitar solos occasionally suggest these guys listened to a lot of
Black Flag), none of that gets in the way of
Power's ultimate goal: to provide high-impact rock & roll for people who've always thought
AC/DC were too twee. The members of
Power -- guitarist and singer Nathan "Slimy" Williams, bassist Isaac Ishadi, and drummer Matt Penkethman -- supposedly decided to form a band after spending a night raving about Australian Sharpie icons
Coloured Balls, and if that band was brutally simple,
Power have managed to move a few steps forward on that scale, and
Electric Glitter Boogie plays like it was recorded during a beer-sodden last set at the pub on Saturday night. Even by the beefy standards of Antipodean punk and hard rock, this music is tough, sweaty, and muscular, and the presentation is purposefully crude (though quite competent). If you're looking for no-nonsense hard rock that isn't afraid to give your ears a proper bashing,
Electric Glitter Boogie might just be your new favorite album. ~ Mark Deming