This is turning into a very bittersweet week for rock. As we say goodbye to one legend with the loss of Eddie Van Halen, we're welcoming back another. But are they present and correct?
Angus Young blues intro lick? Check. Brian Johnson on form? Check. Gang backing vocals? Check. Juggernaut rhythm? Yes indeed. AC/DC are truly back with new single Shot In The Dark.
There have been dark times, and at one point the band was down to Angus from its glorious Back In Black line-up, but here's the first taste of album Power Up, due to land 13 November.
The news of the full return is even sweeter knowing riffs written by the much-missed rhythm king Malcom Young will feature on the album. Indeed the record is a tribute to the legendary rhythm guitar king.
“This record is pretty much a dedication to Malcolm, my brother,” Angus Young told Rolling Stone. “It’s a tribute for him like Back in Black was a tribute to Bon Scott."
“Even when I sit at home and pick up my guitar and start playing, the first thing that enters my head is, ‘I think Mal will like this riff I’m playing, That’s how I judge lot of stuff.”
“Malcolm was always there,” adds Brian Johnson. “As Angus would say, the band was his idea. Everything in it ran through him. He was always there in your minds or just your thoughts. I still see him in my own way. I still think about him. And then in the studio when we’re doing it, you have to be careful when you look around because he seems to be there."
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Rob is the Reviews Editor for GuitarWorld.com and MusicRadar guitars, so spends most of his waking hours (and beyond) thinking about and trying the latest gear while making sure our reviews team is giving you thorough and honest tests of it. He's worked for guitar mags and sites as a writer and editor for nearly 20 years but still winces at the thought of restringing anything with a Floyd Rose.
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