THE DARKNESS — Permission to Land (review)

THE DARKNESS — Permission to Land album cover

Album · 2003 · Hard Rock

5/5 · 2011-09-16
1967/ 1976

Because The Darkness please me? Read this passage that is part of The Darkness biography in this site: "Their highly retro style of music was influenced by rock bands like Queen, AC/DC, Guns N' Roses, Aerosmith, Sparks, Led Zeppelin, Van Halen, T. Rex, Def Leppard, Whitesnake and Thin Lizzy". Except Sparks all the other bands are present in my Metal discography with high consideration!

But for a strange combination of various factors "Permission To Land" is the only The Darkness release in my Metal discography.

The band members are good musicians: Justin Hawkins is the vocalist and keyboardist. Good vocalist with great falsetto, isn't a carbon copy of Freddy Mercury but it's clear that Freddy Mercury was a great maestro for Justin. Dan Hawkins is the axeman: Jimmy Page, Gary moore, Eddie Van Halen, Slash and Mark Bolan are Dan teachers in style. Frankie Poullain is the bassplayer. Great bassplayer for a Metal band, not invadent but not banal. Ed Graham is a powerful drummer: In a certain sense a 1970's drummer... A drummer à la John Bonham or à la Joey Kramer (just to remain among the bands that have inspired The Darkness). The style of the music is the perfect summary of the bands that have inspired The Darkness, without surprises. For 2000's this style is a perfect novelty, that, in my opinion, was perfect for creating new recruits to the Classic Metal. That, at the end, this style is Hard Rock... This is only a detail.

The sound is dominated by electric guitar and drums with technical vocals in first plan. I remember the surprise that a song called "Love Is Only A Feeling" created in me every time the video was broadcast on TV. "Finally," I said "here's a band playing what I like!" But the first song of "Permission To Land" "Black Shuck" is a mix between Aerosmith, Guns'n'Roses and Def Leppard with great feeling and poor magic. "Get Your Hands Off My Woman" is in possess of a punk dissacratory power and with a great use of falsetto voice and a not politically correct lyrics is another great song, also if not properly a song for puritans! "Growing On Me" is another song really beautiful. Aerosmith, AC/DC, Queen (1970's style), Guns'n'Roses ("appetite For Destruction" is a perfect album for this song) and Thin Lizzy stand out as if The Darkness were a clone band! But it is only a stupid detail! "I Believe In A Thing Called Love" is a mix between Thin Lizzy, T-Rex and Queen. Not a perfect song "I Believe..." plays a notch below the other songs on the album. Probably because too a mix between Thin Lizzy and Queen? Mix that has not worked very well in this song. "Love Is Only A Feeling" is a perfect Aerosmith song ("Permanent Vacation"/ "Pump" period) with a tons of magic and feeling, with a great refrain and guitar soli, appropriate use of acoustic guitar, falsetto voice and chorus. In few words...: a perfect song for my soul, because a perfect and bastard mix between Hard Rock and Heavy Metal (This song, at the end is a pure Bonfire song... Because Bonfire isn't between the mentioned band for The Darkness inspiration?). "Givin' Up" is another Aerosmith/ Guns'n'Roses song with NWoBHM treatment, Queen vocals (in style) and punk shadows! "Stuck In A Rut" is a perfect song if Hanoi Rocks or Twisted Sister are your bands! Vice versa if Thin Lizzy is your band "Friday Night" is your song(!) because is a pure Phil Lynott song! "love On The Rocks With No Ice" is a song with AC/DC intro but the rest of the song is a punky Hard Rock that is good if Sparks or 1980's Hard Rock (Bonfire in first plan in my mind) are in your mind chords. "Holding My Own" is another song if you love Aerosmith but also if you not love Aerosmith's ballad this song is perfect!

In a great substance nothing new in musically field. But the mix created by The Darkness is so 1980's that was to conquer me! For 2000's Hard Rock standards "Permission To Land" is a perfect album!