AC/DC's engineer confirms album 'PWR/UP' will have Riff Ideas From Malcolm Young

Engineer of rock band AC/DC Mike Fraser has recently spoken up about his involvement with the band's much-awaited comeback album 'PWR/UP' and said that it includes ideas from Australian musician Malcolm Young.

The statements came during the AC/DCFans.net podcast, according to Blabbermouth.

The upcoming album which is a follow up to 2014's 'Rock Or Bust,' will feature the lineup of Biran Jonson for vocals, Phil Rudd on the drums, Cliff Williams at the bass, and Angus Young and Stevie Young on the guitar.

Around two years ago, four of the band members were photographed outside Vancouver's Warehouse Studios leading to assumptions that AC/DC was planning for a new album.

The band's longtime engineer Mike Fraser spilled out the beans as he said that he was told about the band's new album just two weeks before the band arrived in Vancouver to start their sessions.

"I remember I got the call for this record, but no detail. I had no idea, walking in the first day of the studio, what was gonna happen -- who the personnel of the band would be. As far as I knew, Brian had retired, Cliff had retired, and with Phil and some of his problems he's had in his home country [of New Zealand], who knew if he was even gonna be allowed out of his country. So walking into the studio here in Vancouver the first day, I had no idea what was gonna happen," Blabbermouth quoted Fraser as saying.

"'When I got there, none of the band had arrived yet, but a lot of their techs were there getting things moved into the studio and set up. And one of the guys said, 'Hey, you know what's going on?' And I said, 'I have no idea. I just know we're here and we're setting up.' And he goes, he says, 'Well, the whole band's here: Brian, Cliff, Phil and Stevie, and they're here and we're ready to rock another record.' So, man, it was such a shocking, awesome surprise. It was great," Fraser said.

According to Fraser' statements, the process of songwriting and recording for 'PWR/UP' was similar to that for 'Rock Or Bust.'

"I think Angus kind of came into this with a lot of ideas and riffs and not too many completed songs. But that was similar on 'Rock Or Bust'. 'Cause him and Malcolm had written tons of songs before Mal got sick and eventually passed away. So he's got a whole treasure trove of ideas and riffs and all that," he said.

"So he's probably spent a few years before we came in to do this record pooling ideas together and all that, and then when he came into the studio here, he just sat down with a whole suitcase full of little demo things he had done. And him and Brendan O'Brien, who produced the record, would sift through all the ideas and say, 'Hey, that's great. That's a really good song. Let's put that riff here.' It's just mostly all these great riffs and ideas Ang had," he added.

It was also rumoured before the coronavirus outbreak that the band was about to announce its world stadium tour.

( With inputs from ANI )