Will O’ Dusk is an Italian Hard Rock band that formed in Milan in September 2023. They are preparing to release their debut album, The Long Lasting Dusk, on 28th November, 2025, via Diotima Records. Their music comes described as a journey of awareness and acceptance of both the positive and negative aspects of the human experience.

Lead singer and Co-Author in Will O’Dusk, Rick Maria Barchiesi, joins us with his ‘Why I Love’ story of The Darkness.

Permission to Dream: Growing Up with The Darkness

Choosing a single band to write about isn’t easy for me. The music we create with Will O’Dusk—or at least I hope it is, for everyone who listens to it—already shows how many influences shape our sound. But if I had to pick one, the choice would come down to The Darkness and The Struts. Let’s talk about The Darkness, simply because they’ve been with me, inevitably, for longer.

I was sitting in the back row of the school bus, the windows fogged from the early morning chill, when a close friend got on with his Sony Discman and said he had to make me listen to this new album, Permission To Land. Guys, what a revelation that was for me! At the time, I was listening almost exclusively to two things: Queen, with whom everyone in my house grew up (my love for them is so pure and sincere I couldn’t put them on an article), and Kamelot, the metal band my brother raised me on.

But now I had this new band — my band. I was the one bringing them home that late September day (in the small town where I was born, new things took a while to arrive). From that moment on, it was a love affair that never faded.

HOT CAKES

I bought Hot Cakes while touring Ireland for the Tall Ships Festival — how I had missed them! Until that day, I thought Hazel Eyes would remain my all-time favorite (it’s personal — falling in love, idealizing the other person, you know… I know that feeling all too well). But they were back. Hazel Eyes still sits on the throne—maybe with the rest of One Way Ticket to Hell… and Back just a step below—but I can’t tell you how much I enjoy every shade they paint across their albums. I just hope that one day I can be that good.

Since moving to Milan in 2009, I haven’t missed a single one of their local concerts. Listening to their studio performances, I’ve always been convinced that there’s no sound fresher and yet more deeply rooted in the legendary past. But hearing them live—I can honestly say I’ve rarely had that much fun. That’s where their true genius lies: making incredible music without ever taking themselves too seriously; making music to have fun and to make others have fun.

EVERYTHING CLICKS

Hearing them play Fat Bottomed Girls at the Alcatraz in Milan on October 16, 2025, was simply unbelievable—the kind of night where everything clicks, every note electric, every grin on stage contagious.

I think my own musical calling leans more toward seriousness, introspection, and darker tones. Yet I also believe that it’s thanks, in large part, to The Darkness that, when I write music with the other guys from Will O’Dusk, I manage to weave in that slightly cheeky, tongue-in-cheek touch—perfect both for entertaining without overthinking and for making people think without even realizing it.

So here’s to The Darkness: a band that taught me you can laugh, sweat, and rock out without losing depth. One day, we’ll open for you—and finally share that beer I’ve always dreamed of.

Our thanks to Rick for his insight into Justin and co.

Here’s Will O’ Dusk’s Heartbreak Dust:

Will O’ Dusk online: Facebook / Instagram

You can read more from our extensive archive of Why I Love pieces from a wide array of artists on an even wider array of subjects, here.

Keep up with At The Barrier: Facebook / X (formerly Twitter) / Instagram / Spotify / YouTube