AC/DC are about to releases a new studio album, but with that good piece of news comes some bad news as well.
Earlier this year, founding member Malcolm Young had been hospitalized after suffering a stroke which started a firestorm or rumors that the band would be dismantling even though a new record was in the works.
The rumors turned out to be just that, rumors, while any talk about Malcolm’s health had been at a minimal until today when a press release was issued confirming what some fans were expecting; Malcolm has departed the band.
“Due to the nature of [his] condition, he will not be returning to the band,” read the press release from the band.
Before those former rumors were able to pick up again, AC/DC announced that Malcolm’s nephew Stephen would be handling all the guitar work on the new record as well as their still-to-be-announced world tour scheduled for 2015.
When asked about the likelihood of Malcolm’s departure being permanent, AC/DC biographer Jesse Finke responded with, “The important thing is we all let Mal be and hope he can recover. We should all expect that Stevie is in the band now.”
Not a complete confirmation that Malcolm may never return to the group.
AC/DC’s new record, Rock or Bust is set to be released on Dec. 2 while the first single from the record, “Play Ball” will soundtrack Major League Baseball’s postseason game beginning next month.
As for the world tour, like we said before, no confirmation or tour dates have been hinted at yet, so we’ll just wait for that.
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