The Darkness premiere “Rock and Roll Deserves to Die” video

Photographer: Simon Emmett

The Darkness have announced their new album Easter Is Cancelled will be released on October 4th via Cooking Vinyl. The record marks the group’s first-ever concept album as it consist of ten tracks produced by Dan Hawkins. Today (6th) the band has unveiled the first single from their upcoming record with a new video for the song “Rock and Roll Deserves to Die.”

Justin Hawkins commented on the album:

“At the end of days, humankind must consider the essential truths of existence. The Darkness, your vanguard in life’s journey, have stared into the abyss. The observations we bring from the edge are set out in a new record album, titled Easter is Cancelled. This far-reaching communiqué examines man’s brutality to man, the dichotomies that we live within and the alternate realities that exist alongside our blinkered comprehension of the Universe. The song cycle defines human existence through a parable – the slow lingering death and eventual glorious re-birth of rock and roll. In the search for perfect sonic equivalents of core truths, every musical instrument of the world has been explored and exploited to its fullest extent. Endless days in studios, museums, spiritual retreats and places of learning turned into endless months, as deeper and deeper layers of truth were uncovered, translated and set for eternity in sound. The result is a literally Biblical record, and those who have said that rock and roll is the Devil’s music should listen and understand that it is, in truth, the voice of God. This is the grandest statement any band has ever made, and the endeavour has taken its toll. In achieving such a mighty goal, a line is drawn and this will be the last traditional music album from The Darkness – having confronted the eternal and ultimate, we must now move on to higher art forms. The future is an open door. Who’s in here?”

Check out the clip below and pre-order the album here: