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THE DARKNESS
RATING: 4
PLAY THESE: GROWING ON ME, I BELIEVE IN A THING CALLED LOVE
SKIP THESE: everything else.....
As the great metal gods Spinal Tap once observed, there is a fine line between clever and stupid. The Darkness are an 80's campy retro metal band that jumps back and forth between these two extremes, and sometimes it is very difficult to discern whether these guys actually take themselves seriously or not. If you want proof, just listen to Justin Hawkins' laughably operatic vocals - the clown sings falsetto so often and at such inappropriate moments that it almost seems as though he truly thinks he's the second coming of Stephen Pearcy. I mean, it's funny the first time, but anyone who so persistently runs amuck of good taste must truly believe in what he is doing. Plus, the band also has a Freddy Mercury look-alike bassist who gleefully calls his rather moustache his "c*ckduster," so you have to realize that these guys aren't afraid to make fun of themselves - and the genre they represent. Which is why moments like 'I Believe In A Thing Called Love' are so much fun. The hit single boasts all of the most ridiculous elements of 80's metal - helium vocals, echoey drums, harmony guitar solos, poodle hair, and spandex pants - all mixed up into one catchy little tune, which is one of the best novelty singles in recent memory.
Unfortunately, the joke wears quite thin when stretched across an entire album's worth of material, some of which is pretty much unlistenable. Admittedly, 'Growing On Me' is also top-notch hair metal, and some of the guitar work is impressive in a 1985 sort of way, but there are some truly horrific "songs" on Permission To Land. If you're looking for an 80's metal parody act to make you laugh your glass eye out, it would be advisable to stick with Spinal Tap, and forget about this motley crew of right twits.