Permission to Land [PA] by The Darkness

Pros: Loud, fun, and not at all serious...
Cons: Some not so great moments, maybe a little harsh...

Everything from the heavy electric guitars to the catchy melodies to the kitschy cover art on The Darkness’ debut album Permission To Land reminds me of hair metal. But if this was just hair metal, I wouldn’t be so very impressed. The Darkness i ...

Pros: Justin Hawkins' charisma, the pure "fun" of it all
Cons: the act gets a TAD tired by the end of the disc

In 1983, director Rob Reiner made a film called This is Spinal Tap, a mockumentary about the fading fortunes of a British heavy metal band that is well past its prime. The film, to this day, is considered a "must watch" for music fans of ...

Pros: Great, spirited rock and roll
Cons: A bit samey, tending towards banal at times

One band has taken the European music channels by storm in recent weeks. That band is The Darkness. You thought The Hives were the pinnacle of fun rock. You ain’t seen The Darkness yet. With three spectacularly stupid videos for t ...

Pros: It’s just like being back in the early 80s...
Cons: ...which sucked. D'oh!

1. Image is everything Oh yes, you’ve gotta look good if you want to save rock music. You’ve gotta look really good. Or failing that, look really stupid. Prance around in an unconvincingly camp manner while wearing a tight ...

Pros: Hard-hitting guitar rock
Cons: Forgettable hard-hitting guitar rock

The U.K.’s The Darkness has been getting a lot of press lately as a fashionable return to 80's hair band music. I don't agree. I’ve given their new CD, "Permission to Land", a couple of careful listens, and this is pure 70s UK hard rock--Gibson ...

Pros: I really wanted to give this five stars, it's that good.
Cons: I couldn't, there's just something... also a lot of cursing.

The Darkness are a pretty interesting and wacky band. I first caught sight of them during my ...

Pros: great rock in the vein of the seventies giants
Cons: not the most original

In an earlier and simpler time it would be sufficient to call the Darkness a rock band and leave it at that, but the modern musical age is a complex beast and so in keeping with the times a new term is needed. In a time when we have Nu-metal, Industrial, ...

Pros: Enormous fun, catchy and melodic hard rock
Cons: Nothing original, but all the better for it

Every now and then, and less frequently these days, a band comes along which makes you raise your eyebrows, brings a smile to your face and restores your faith in the health of modern rock music. The White Stripes are undeniably such a group. Coldplay too ...

Pros: Wonderfully entertaining, throwback rock music with enough camp to keep you smiling.
Cons: Justin Hawkin's voice is an aquired taste.

... OK, let's see if about two years off has refreshed my writing style any. And what better way to kick off Matt_Stein @ Epinions, mkII, with a band that many, many people are talking about these days... I'm going to skip the history of The ...

Pros: Brings back the days of 80's rock and roll; trendy and retro; fun album
Cons: Too much sappiness; Too short of an album; More expansion would be nice

Once upon a time there were bands that really understood their musical influences and roots, relying on them to create new, diverse creations and even whole genres. Well, ladies and gentlemen, that time is back with the arrival of those ever-lovable ...

Pros: cheese in small doses can be quite tasty
Cons: if you get over dosed on it you get stomach cramps

Lets just stop for a second to refresh your memory, because it is more than likely you have come across these guys before. they're a bunch of English blokes with a singer who’s voice is so high it can be really irritating, and if thetas not enough ...

Pros: The Singles are great, Showmanship is fun!
Cons: Crap Drumming and bass, Unwanted swearing shows poor songwriting, Justins Voice. Average Non singles

Waking up after a night of lets say, more than a little extravagance, I found myself confronted by a very strange sight on the TV. A big haired man in spandex dancing around like a nutter on a spaceship was being attacked by a giant octopus. Its was at ...

Pros: Tight performance, strong songwriting, Justin's falsetto, great solos, 10 tracks - perfect length.
Cons: They have a couple of better songs that didn't make the album. But that's nit-picking.

The year? 1985. The band? a-ha The song? 'Take On Me' What about it? Who doesn't like 'Take On Me'? A keyboard-fused, pop-ditty that has stood the test of time and almost twenty years later remains one of popular music's best-known tracks. ...

Pros: Cheesy, goofy fun. A fun escape from the banality of modern music.
Cons: Very samey. If you hate one, you'll probably hate them all.

I was introduced to The Darkness by a radio DJ who said, "A lot of you hate this song, so here it is" and promptly turned on "I Believe in a Thing Called Love." At the time, I turned it off because I believe anything a fat, balding, supposedly hip DJ ...

Pros: Some GREAT rock songs, fun to listen to
Cons: A couple songs are a little generic, album is pretty short

When I first heard about this band from NME, I didn't think there was any way I would like them. After all, I've never been a big fan of hair metal. Growing up in the early/mid 90's, I was surrounded by grunge music. For people my age, the whole idea of ...