The 2017 death AC/DC co-founder and rhythm guitarist Malcolm Young was quite literally the loss of a family member for the band.

Lead guitarist Angus Young says his brother's passing was "a huge blow" to the AC/DC, but it was also a catalyst for the new album, PWR/UP, which is due out November 13.

All the tracks on PWR/UP were based around song ideas Malcolm recorded for the band years ago. Angus says the music he made with his brother has taken on a new meaning for him in the years since Malcolm's death.

"...I still think he's there when I'm playing," Angus told NME. "It sounds funny, but I can still feel him communicating to me when I'm playing guitar."

Malcolm retired from AC/DC in 2014 due to problems with early-onset dementia. Angus says music was the best way to comfort his ailing brother during his later days at a nursing facility.

"I'd play him a bit of guitar, and he was happy whenever we were doing that," Angus said. "One of the last records I ever played him was The Rolling Stones' [Blue And Lonesome]... and he just thought it was great."

Frontman Brian Johnson added that the feeling is there for the rest of the band, too.

"He's left us — but he's still there," Johnson said. "In the studio and in everything he did. We're all very aware of that. When your target is to pay tribute to Malcolm, you just really want to do well and you don't want to let anyone down."

AC/DC recently unveiled the official music video for the band's latest single, "Shot in the Dark." You can watch it below.

Despite the sad circumstances surrounding AC/DC's reunion and the additional challenges of the coronavirus pandemic, Angus told Q104.3 New York's Jim Kerr in an interview earlier this October that the ultimate goal of PWR/UP is the same as that of any AC/DC album: to "boost everyone's spirits."

Photo: Getty Images

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