THE DARKNESS Frontman Explains Split With Drummer EMILY DOLAN DAVIES

“Hammer & Tongs”, a brand new song from British rockers THE DARKNESS, can be streamed below. The track is taken from the band’s fourth album, “Last Of Our Kind”, which will be released on June 1 in partnership with Kobalt Label Services. The CD was penned in Ireland and was produced by THE DARKNESS guitarist Dan Hawkins. The follow-up to 2012’s “Hot Cakes” was recorded at Leeders Farm Studio in Norfolk, owned by Dan Hawkins.

THE DARKNESS last month parted ways with drummer Emily Dolan Davies and replaced her with Rufus Taylor, the son of legendary QUEEN drummer Roger Taylor.

Rufus made his debut with THE DARKNESS at the Gibson release party for “Last Of Our Kind” in London on April 24.

Speaking about THE DARKNESS‘s latest addition, frontman Justin Hakwins told Kerrang! magazine: “It felt like a revelation. We had a lot of mutual friends, and as it would turn out, Brian May‘s guitar tech put him forward for the gig. There’s something really special about his drumming. So, yeah, we want to work with him for as long as we can. This is THE DARKNESS, though, so things can change in a heartbeat.”

Regarding Rufus‘s predecessor, Justin said: “We love Emily. She’s a great drummer and a nice person, but it broke down because she couldn’t be available for everything we needed. I think we’re quite a demanding band to be in…”

“Last of Our Kind” will be released on limited-edition color vinyl, compact disc and as a digital download.

“The new album is brutal,” Justin Hawkins told Classic Rock. “It’s definitely stripped back — with the exception of some mandolins. 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. It’s medi-urban, I suppose.…”