AC/DC Finishes Recording 15th Album Sans Malcolm Young

Australian rock band AC/DC just finished recording their long-awaited 15th album following their 2008’s Black Ice. Frontman Brian Johnson revealed the news in an interview with Classic Rock magazine. However, he also said that the absence of their guitarist Malcolm Young was quite heavy for the band while they were in the studio recording.

“We’re done — I’m very excited and we’ve got some great songs. We miss Malcolm, obviously. He’s a fighter. He’s in the hospital but he’s a fighter. We’ve got our fingers crossed that he’ll get strong again.”

In April, Young went on a break from his duties with AC/DC after he suffered a stroke. In June, AC/DC started working on their studio album without Young and said that they were getting by. Being on stage without Young, however, was a different story. While Young was on break, his nephew Stevie took over his guitar duties for AC/DC.

“Stevie, Malcolm’s nephew, was magnificent, but when you’re recording with this thing hanging over you and your work mate isn’t well, it’s difficult. But I’m sure Malcolm was rooting for us. He’s such a strong man. He’s a small guy but he’s very strong. He’s proud and he’s very private, so we can’t say too much. But fingers crossed he’ll be back.”

Despite Young’s ailment, the band still remains bonded even amidst break-up rumors back in April. Johnson insists that AC/DC will not break up, and are even thinking of touring in 2014. He even teased AC/DC fans about the possibility of having a 40th anniversary tour.

“It’s been 40 years of the band’s existence. So I think we’re going to try to do 40 gigs, 40 shows, to thank the fans for their undying loyalty. I mean, honestly, our fans are just the best in the world, and we appreciate every one of them. So, we’ll have to go out, even though we’re getting a bit long in the tooth.”

It seems that AC/DC is really rooting for Young to be back in good health. Johnson said that he is even thinking of calling their new album Man Down, according to Radio.com. However, the album title is not yet finalized as Johnson said that “it’s a bit negative.”

AC/DC was formed by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young in 1973. To date, AC/DC remains one of the highest-grossing bands of all time, and they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003.

[Image via 92 Citi FM]