The Darkness

First off, this is not a great or classic album by any means, and the mid to high falsetto vocals of lead singer Justin Hawkins aren’t for everybody, but this band does in fact rock, albeit in a highly inconsistent way. Secondly, it appears that they are not just a Spinal Tap joke band, but are in fact just a bunch of weird English guys who love Queen and heavy metal/classic rock in general. The two kick-off tracks, "Black Shuck" and the amazing "Get Your Hands off My Woman" are so fucking kicking that they make bands like the Hellacopters or Danko Jones sound positively fey in comparison. Things turn for the lukewarm and worse when the Darkness slide into REO Speedwagon mode on "Growing on Me" and the rest of album tends to jump from mid-tempo rockers like "Friday Night" to slower ballads like "Holding My Own.” Hats off, though, for the UFO/Scorpions/Roger Waters-inspired CD booklet graphics, which perfectly mirror the tunes found here, and was designed by former Thee Headcoat member Bruce Brand.