AC/DC singer Brian Johnson said the band’s new album features riffs written by late rhythm guitarist and co-founder Malcolm Young. But he dismissed rumors that Young's playing would actually be heard on the LP.

“There’s a lot of [talk] about Malcolm’s guitar playing,” Johnson told Rock 100.5 Atlanta. “Well, of course, that’s not true. But what is true is the fact that Angus and Malcolm had done riffs together all their life and really had a big box of them. And Angus said he basically just went through them all and he went, ‘Oh, that’s a good one. This is a good one,’ and he brought them out. So, it really is true that Malcolm is on there, basically in spirit and all of that.”

The singer described Malcolm as “such a strong character." “I think everybody in the band still felt – especially Angus, his brother – that he’s in everything," he added. "We’re always conscious … that he’s watching over: ‘You’d better do it right. You’d better do it AC/DC style or just not do it at all.’”

You can hear the interview below.

Last week, the band launched a new website, newsletter and marketing campaign featuring the word "PWR/UP" and released a 30-second preview of a song called "Shot in the Dark."

Johnson agreed that the band’s return was something “probably nobody thought would happen. ... It was about 2018 and Angus was contacted by the record company, who said, ‘Do you fancy doing an album?’ And Angus said, ‘Well, let’s ask the boys.’ … I think we all said ‘yes’ immediately.”

AC/DC reportedly reunited in the Vancouver studio they’d used before. “As soon as we walked in, there was this electricity, this bond that had been built up over 28 years since I joined,” Johnson recalled. “And of course, when the boys plugged in ... and they started playing, that was it. It was a great time.”

 

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