AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd was behaving erratically long before his arrest last week, according to his bandmates.

Speaking with USA Today, guitarist Angus Young and bassist Cliff Williams said that Rudd - who initially faced a murder-for-hire charge, which was dropped, but still stands accused of possessing methamphetamine and marijuana - was elusive during the recording of the group's album, Rock Or Bust, due December 2nd.

While the musicians were in the studio, "It was tough to get (Rudd) there in the first place," says Williams.

"It put us in a difficult situation," says Young - one that has endured through subsequent video and photo shoots. "It put us in a spot where we couldn't move forward. Does the guy show up? Is he reliable to do his job in good shape? We've always been a solid, reliable unit."

AC/DC has indeed resolved to move forward; it is planning to tour next year. Whether Rudd will join his bandmates remains in question.

"Phil created his own situation," says Young. "It's a hard thing to say about the guy. He's a great drummer, and he's done a lot of stuff for us. But he seems to have let himself go. He's not the Phil we've known from the past."

Read more and check out some photos at USA Today.

AC/DC filmed their new video for the single “Play Ball” with director David Mallet on October 3rd and 4th at Black Island Studios in Middlesex, England. The official video can now be seen below, along with previously posted behind-the-scenes footage:

AC/DC's new album, Rock Or Bust, is the band’s first studio album in six years and features 11 new tracks. It will be released by Columbia Records in North American on December 2nd. Rock Or Bust follows the immensely successful Black Ice album, which debuted at #1 in 31 countries upon its release in 2008 and has gone on to sell nearly 8 million copies worldwide. Rock Or Bust was recorded in spring 2014 at Bryan Adams' Warehouse Studio in Vancouver, BC and finds AC/DC once again working with producer Brendan O’Brien and mixer Mike Fraser.

Rock Or Bust tracklisting:

"Play Ball"
"Sign Of The Times"
"Ain't The Way"
"Rock Or Bust"
"Done Her Good"
"Steal My Meal"
"Watching Games"
"Cardhouse Blues"
"Bulletride"
"Rumble"
"Back In The Zone"

Rock Or Bust is the first AC/DC album in the band’s 41 year history without founding member Malcolm Young on the recordings, who is in a home suffering from dementia.

AC/DC will undertake a world tour in support of Rock Or Bust in 2015. Stevie Young, nephew of founding members Angus and Malcolm Young, plays rhythm guitar on Rock Or Bust and will accompany the band on tour.