The darkness

The Darkness' Delorean must have been hit by that train on the album cover, as they've apparently been stuck in 1981 since 2003's Permission To Land. It's a shame that despite legendary Queen producer Roy Thomas-Baker (think "Bohemian Rhapsody") the only noticeable differences between the Darkness' first and second records are the multi-tracked falsettos on every single refrain. And honestly, it's going to take a lot more than a pan-flute intro followed by the sound of coke being snorted to even think about approaching "Bohemian Rhapsody." Future singles "Hazel Eyes" and "Is It Just Me?" might be catchy but are nothing but disguised derivatives of mid-1970s prog rock and early '80s metal. Just compare "Girlfriend" to Permission to Land's "Friday Night" and it's painful how similar yet creatively stunted their latest attempt has turned out. The new Darkness is just less Darkness, and the grandiose production fails to hide it; for example, not one of the new tracks can out-crazy the older "Stuck in a Rut." I blame it all on the ousting of bassist/Swedish mercenary Frankie Poullain. This is what happens when you cross the Moustache.