Back in August, new photos suggested that singer Brian Johnson and drummer Phil Rudd were both back in AC/DC; now, the veteran LA grindcore band Terrorizer claim that Johnson confirmed the news of his return to them.
On August 7th, a picture of Johnson and Rudd drinking coffee outside the Vancouver, Canada, studio where AC/DC have recorded in the past surfaced. The next day, a photo of Angus Young and Stevie Young taking a smoke break at the very same location popped up, suggesting they were all together recording new music.
In a Facebook post on Monday (January 28th), Terrorizer recapped their European tour, ending with, “We ran into Brian Johnson from ACDC at the airport today after the flight home and we asked him about the rumors of him being on the new ACDC album and he said ‘Yes’ and that he is ‘Sick of denying it’. So that was a cool surprise ending to the tour.”
Terrorizer’s report was confirmed by Katherine Turman, co-author of the book Louder Than Hell: The Definitive Oral History of Metal, who reached out to the grindcore band. “Brian Johnson told them he was back in AC/DC,” she said. “[Terrorizer] guitarist Lee Harrison confirmed that Brian Johnson was returning from LA to his home in Florida and the band asked him ‘if the rumors were true about him being on the new album,’ and Brian said, ‘YES’ … This took place in the long-term parking garage.”
Johnson, of course, was forced to leave AC/DC in 2016 during their “Rock or Bust Tour” when there were fears that he would risk total hearing loss. He was famously replaced by Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose for the rest of the trek. Rudd, meanwhile, had to exit the band due to serious legal issues he was facing in New Zealand.
Stevie Young replaced his uncle, guitarist Malcolm Young, who was suffering from dementia at the time and would pass away in 2017, while bassist Cliff Williams retired from the band after the “Rock or Bust Tour” — at one point leaving Angus Young as the only classic member of the band left. But if all the reports are true, it looks like AC/DC are gearing up for a big announcement in the near future.
