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When Australian power-rockers Wolfmother issued forth their self-titled opus in 2005, it was heralded as a harbinger of the Return Of Rock. With their noodly extendo-jams and bludgeoning riffage; trippy lyrical allusions to netherworldly dimensions, unicorns, witches, pyramids and gnomes; and hirsute, frequently tunic-clad rock-god frontdude Andrew Stockdale, Wolfmother seemed like the new Led Zeppelin, or at least the new Black Sabbath or Blue Cheer, for the millennial age. Accolades and awards (including a Best Hard Rock Performance Grammy, beating out the frontrunning likes of Tool, System Of A Down, and Nine Inch Nails), ensued, as did the arena-based kindling of thousands of Bic cigarette lighters.

But then, Wolfmother went the way of the mythical unicorn and totally disappeared. All band members except for Stockdale departed the lineup, and while Stockdale completely rebuilt his once-mighty band with new players, FOUR long years elapsed. Now, rock years are like dog years, as music fans tend to be a fickle, next-big-thing-seeking bunch. So four years for other bands would be a totally career-suicidal hiatus. But let's face it, there is no bigger thing than the sound of Wolfmother's guitar rock roaring out of the speakers. And with Guitar Hero inspiring countless bedroom-dwelling would-be rock stars to thrash along to hamfisted 'Mother blitzkriegs like "Woman," the band still remained a favorite with fans despite the long break.

So now the revamped Wolfmother are finally set to return with sophomore album Cosmic Egg, with all their buzz still abuzz. To celebrate their revival, they performed a private gig at the Roxy on L.A.'s Sunset Strip for Yahoo! Music's new live concert program, Guitar Hero 5 Fridays--and they rocked like they never went away.

It was the 'Mother of all rock 'n' roll shows:

And check out Stockdale's interview taped upstairs at On The Rox, in which he discussed his band's near-demise and subsequent rebirth, how the new lineup has affected Wolfmother's sound, and how Guitar Hero has helped fans discover his band's music:

Want to see Wolfmother live in person? Check out their tourdates.

Watch Weezer's Guitar Hero 5 Fridays concert