Ananova:

The Darkness have recruited veteran rock producer Robert 'Mutt' Lange for the follow-up to Permission to Land.

Lange's credits include AC/DC's Highway To Hell and For Those About To Rock We Salute You, as well as albums for Bryan Adams, Def Leppard and Foreigner.

More recently, he's also worked with everyone from Britney Spears to the Backstreet Boys, reports XFM.co.uk.

Meanwhile, Avril Lavigne says she's desperate to work with The Darkness.

"The Darkness are incredible," she said. "Their power is breathtaking and they are the one band in the world I now want to record with. I just can't stop singing their songs."