The Darkness: Unplugged & Unstoppable At Yahoo! Music

Gimme a D! Gimme an Arkness! Yes, the triumphant return of unitarded Britrock gods the Darkness with Hot Cakes--the band's first album since 2005's totally underrated One Way Ticket To Hell...And Back, and their first with all four original members since 2003's glittering debut Permission To Land--has been cause for headbanging celebration on both sides of the pond. In an Auto-Tuned age when many pundits are wrongly declaring that "rock is dead," it is hair-flippingly, fist-pumpingly thrilling to see that the amazing Justin Hawkins and his band of merry metal men are once again flying the flag--and flying their V guitars--for rock 'n' roll.

Clearly, there are many rock fans out there who still believe in a thing called the Darkness.

But the amped-to-11 Darkness have a softer side, too, and the boys were happy to showcase the kinder, gentler Darkness when they recently stopped by Yahoo! Music to play rare acoustic versions of "I Believe In A Thing Called Love" and two new Hot Cakes cuts, "Every Inch Of You" and "Love Is Not The Answer." Check 'em out here.

The band--Justin Hawkins, his guitar-shredding brother Dan, impressively coiffed bassist Frankie Poullain, and drummer Ed Graham--also sat down for an in-depth and characteristically dry-witted interview, covering their breakup, hiatus, and comeback; their decision to produce Hot Cakes themselves, and what they learned from legendary One Way Ticket producer Roy Thomas Baker; Justin's writing and producing for Adam Lambert, Foxy Shazam, Meat Loaf, and possibly Kelly Clarkson; and how the critical tides are turning as more fans discover and rediscover the Darkness's singular brand of brash, unabashed rock 'n' roll.

Welcome back, boys. You've been missed.

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