So what do you get when you cross three-chord AC/DC-esqe hard rock , with the falsetto vocal harmonies of the disco era, and then throw in some subtle (or not so subtle) Queen-like layering, arrangments, and a little camp?
Ladies and gentlemen, I present The Darkness.
Just when 70′s and 80′s hard rock seemed to be beaten dead for good, a tired genre with nothing left to explore, this UK band revives it in force with their latest effort, ‘One Way Ticket to Hell’.
This album shows quite a bit of growth from their debut offering, ‘Permission to Land’. The first thing you notice is the production is MUCH better. Their initial offering sounded a bit rushed and bare in places. The mix while good, was quite simple and somewhat sterile. Not so for ‘One way Ticket to Hell’. The drum sound is huge. Very deep and strong. I can’t wait to hear this at full volume through a decent system.
‘One Way Ticket to Hell’ is a bit less ‘heavy’ than their debut, in fact several songs have string arrangements and the band shows off a much wider muscianship in their solo’s and guitar parts, eschewing straight hard rock solo’s for a more balanced sound. A bit of blues-iness, and even a hint of country twangy sound can be heard in some tracks. In fact, several songs on this CD seem to me to be nothing more than a big wet sloppy kiss to Queen, a oft-quoted major influence for several band members.
While their first effort was straight hard rock with the obligitory ballad or two, ‘One Way Ticket to Hell’ isn’t so easily classified. The overall sound is still hard rock, but the style is all over the place. Hints of Glam, Prog Rock, Pop, and even Vaudville are all heard. After listening one time though, I simple can’t offer a single catagory to label it with.
Track 6 for example, ‘Hazel Eyes’, opens with synth guitars which I imagine are supposed to sound like bagpipes…though the melody they play has a very oriental feel to it. Yet, the song itself is decidedly celtic in subject and tone (it’s about a girl from Scotland). The refrain is just delightfully silly…(like a celtic influenced version of the Immigrant Song opening from Led Zeppelin), yet oddly compelling. Is this song celtic? Rock? Glam? A big Joke? You tell me. I love it though.
Justin Hawkins’ vocal range is given full play on this CD, often with several harmony overdubs. The result is a big step up from their first CD.
This album was produced by Roy Thomas Baker (who was responsible for many Queen albums, as well as works by The Rolling stones, and The Who). His touch is clearly evident to any one familair with albums he’s produced.
Given all this, the album simply rocks. Queen meets AC/DC meets the BeeGees is how I’d decribe it. I can’t help but smile listening to a few of the tracks on this CD, the ones where the campiness of Queen is coming through full-bore (Such as track nine – ‘English Country Garden’).
All in all a great followup effort. Of the 10 tracks there’s only 1 or 2 that sound like filler material to me, and I think a few songs don’t really work as well as they could due to some of the experimentation they’ve done with their sound which brings down their grade a tad, but these are nitpicks.
In scope and sound this is a GRAND offering. Though, like Queen, it may be an aquired taste for many, and I fear simply too much for the average American music listener.
Final Verdit: **** (out of 5)