Tim Mosenfelder/WireImageAC/DC‘s upcoming new album is exciting for a lot of reasons, mainly because it marks the return of each surviving member from the band’s classic Back in Black lineup. However, the record also carries a somber note, as it’s AC/DC’s first following the death of co-founder and guitarist Malcolm Young in 2017.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, guitarist Angus Young describes the new album, now confirmed to be titled Power Up, as a tribute to his brother.
“This record is pretty much a dedication to Malcolm, my brother,” Angus says. “It’s a tribute for him like Back in Black was a tribute to Bon Scott.”
Scott, of course, died in 1980, which led AC/DC to recruit vocalist Brian Johnson, who handled the mic in the band until 2016, when it was announced that he was stepping away due hearing loss. Johnson, along with bassist Cliff Williams and drummer Phil Rudd, is now officially back in AC/DC, thanks to work with a specialist to address his hearing issues.
“The first time he came down he brought this thing that looked like a car battery,” Johnson tells Rolling Stone. “I went, ‘What in the hell is that?’ He said, ‘We’re going to miniaturize it.'”
“It took two and a half years. He came down once a month,” the singer explains. “We’d sit there and it was boring as s*** with all these wires and computer screens and noises. But it was well worth it. The only thing I can tell you is that it uses the bone structure in the skull as a receiver. That’s as much as I can tell you.”
We’ll get our first taste of Power Up when the lead single “Shot in the Dark” drops tonight at midnight.
By Josh Johnson
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