Over the past couple of decades, AC/DC have routinely taken at least five years between albums. But as drummer Phil Rudd made clear during a recent interview, that doesn't mean the band has slowed down in the studio.

Speaking with Triple M, Rudd described the sessions for the band's upcoming album as something of a whirlwind -- and vowed that it found the band at full strength even without co-founder Malcolm Young, absent from the lineup as he deals with health woes.

"It was done in 10 days, and I’ve never played better," said Rudd, who referred to the new music as "stellar." "I hope it’s as good as I remember when I came away from the studio. It’s pretty damn good."

As far as Rudd's concerned, the other stops in the pipeline between the recording studio and record stores could stand to move a little faster, too. "Usually you master something and wait a couple of weeks, and you go and have a listen to it," he added. "They do things a certain way -- I think they’re taking too long."

The irony is that, by Rudd's own admission, he took his time putting together his upcoming solo debut, 'Head Job,' due Aug. 29. In fact, one song, 'Lonely Child,' was written 25 years ago. "We started a long time ago," he noted. "It’s been a long process, but the album is current to us -- it doesn’t feel 25 years old."

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