Since announcing their reunion early last year, things have been quite busy in The Darkness camp.
From touring and playing the festival circuit to finally releasing a follow up album to 2005’s One Way Ticket To Hell… And Back.
The new album, entitled Hot Cakes (‘sells like’ geddit?) is the band’s first album with all the original band members since 2003, and it doesn’t disappoint.
The glam rockers give us an album full of classic sounding Darkness material full of guitar solos and Justin Hawkins’ freakishly high voice.
Straight up from the opening number “Every Inch Of You”, the listener is hit with the rock ‘n’ roll riffs and drums that make up that 80s sounding music that the people (and the band) love. The first single off the album, “Nothin’s Gonna Stop Us”, is an absolute cracker of a track that’ll have you wanting to yell along and jump up and down.
Coming in at track five is the first ballad on the album in “Living Each Day Blind”, before things pick up again with the great rock chant “Everybody Have A Good Time”.
The back half of the album is not as strong, as the album winds down to the slower and anti climatic closer “Love Is Not The Answer”. However, there are still some great songs such as the take on Radiohead’s “Street Spirit (Fade Out)” which reimagines it as if performed by Iron Maiden, with a thick 80s metal sound to it.
All in all it’s a great comeback album for the UK quartet who are still keeping strong with their glam rock.
– Chris Condoleon
