The Darkness have revealed that they've got a new album called Cliffhanger in the can, which finds the frontline of the falsetto-flinging rock revivalists backed up by new drummer Emily Dolan Davies (pictured above).
The LP and lineup shift were recently revealed in an interview with vocalist/guitarist Justin Hawkins, who noted that Davies came in to replace skinsman Ed Graham in September. The founding percussionist is said to have left the project earlier this year due to health-related issues.
"Ed has had some well-publicized health problems in the past. And for one reason or another, he wasn't capable of doing his job anymore," Hawkins told Classic Rock [via Blabbermouth]. "We're still friends with Ed. But now that we have Emily in the band, the worry is gone."
The frontman added that Davies, who has played for the likes of Bryan Ferry and Tricky, has "revitalized" the Darkness, and calls her a "hard hitter."
"She's got the chops and the attitude that you need to be the Darkness' drummer," he said. "She also makes us feel like dirty old men."
As for Cliffhanger, the album is expected to land sometime in March via Wind-Up Records. It marks the group's first album to be served up since 2012's Hot Cakes, and was recorded at guitarist Dan Hawkins' Norfolk, UK-based Leeders Farm Studio. Brother Justin describes the set as a "brutal" and scaled-back slab of "medieval rock."
"It's definitely stripped back — with the exception of some mandolins," he explained. "But when you're doing medieval rock, you should have a mandolin on it. And while I wouldn't say that this is our Rainbow Rising, we're definitely exploring the myths of old. It's medieval rock, but it still sounds like the Darkness."
Tracklisting info has yet to be revealed for Cliffhanger.
The LP and lineup shift were recently revealed in an interview with vocalist/guitarist Justin Hawkins, who noted that Davies came in to replace skinsman Ed Graham in September. The founding percussionist is said to have left the project earlier this year due to health-related issues.
"Ed has had some well-publicized health problems in the past. And for one reason or another, he wasn't capable of doing his job anymore," Hawkins told Classic Rock [via Blabbermouth]. "We're still friends with Ed. But now that we have Emily in the band, the worry is gone."
The frontman added that Davies, who has played for the likes of Bryan Ferry and Tricky, has "revitalized" the Darkness, and calls her a "hard hitter."
"She's got the chops and the attitude that you need to be the Darkness' drummer," he said. "She also makes us feel like dirty old men."
As for Cliffhanger, the album is expected to land sometime in March via Wind-Up Records. It marks the group's first album to be served up since 2012's Hot Cakes, and was recorded at guitarist Dan Hawkins' Norfolk, UK-based Leeders Farm Studio. Brother Justin describes the set as a "brutal" and scaled-back slab of "medieval rock."
"It's definitely stripped back — with the exception of some mandolins," he explained. "But when you're doing medieval rock, you should have a mandolin on it. And while I wouldn't say that this is our Rainbow Rising, we're definitely exploring the myths of old. It's medieval rock, but it still sounds like the Darkness."
Tracklisting info has yet to be revealed for Cliffhanger.
