We here at Metal Reviews do our best to get reviews of new albums out in a timely fashion; whether it be just prior to the release dates or shortly there after. "Permission To Land" by The Darkness was released sometime back in the late Summer of 2003 and somehow slipped under the Metal Reviews radar. Recent buzz about the album within the Metal Reviews camp ignited an interest and compulsion that this release should be reviewed. With that said, let's get to it!

I remember hearing a unique sounding band on the local radio station back in the Summer of 2003. I even remember hearing the name, The Darkness but I could never put the two together. I don't watch much music television these days so I never even saw their video until I was walking through the music section of my local Target store.

But it was during Christmas that I heard a song by The Darkness called "Christmas Time (Don't Let The Bells End)". This song was probably the most memorable of the rock Christmas songs they were playing at the time. To me, the vocals were simply amazing. The guy's voice sounded like a mix between Bono of U2 and hit high notes like Tiny Tim (LOL)! Still, my interest was peaked enough where I needed to find out more about the band that sang this song.

So I finally put one and one together when I was listening to a morning radio station countdown show. Of course, the song that was on this show was the first single off of "Permission To Land" called "I Believe In A Thing Called Love". I sampled some tracks off of amazon.com and shortly thereafter bought the album for $10. (I've even seen it recently selling at Circuit City for as low as $8!).

After finally listening to the album in full, I can tell you that I was not disappointed in the least! "Permission To Land" is the freshest serving of hard rock I've heard in a very long time. The Darkness bring something very special to the table. Their brand of campy, theatrical, exuberant, brash, rousing, energetic and hedonistic rock will leave you either liking them or hating them. Either way, a long lasting impression will be left on you.

The album is more or less straightforward 70's pop/rock with a polished 80's metal sound. There are traces of Cheap Trick, AC/DC, Sweet and Kiss styled riffs throughout the album. The vocals sound like Bono (U2) on the low end and John Gallagher (Raven), Freddie Mercury (Queen) and yes, even Tiny Tim, on the high notes. The songs are full of catchy memorable choruses which are most likely due to the vulgar and cheesy lyrics about sex, drugs and Satan . The record starts off with some very strong rockers like "Black Shuck" ("I just don't give a !@#$), "Get Your Hands Off My Woman" ("mother fu-ker") and "Growing On Me". Things slow down a bit with the ballad "Love Is Only a Feeling", only to pick up again with "Givin' Up" and "Stuck in a Rut". The songs are fun and get you in the mood to rock!

What more can you ask for from a rock album? It succeeds in doing alot of things. The production is excellent. The songs are crafted well. The music is driving and intense. The musicianship is dead on. Image and theatrics aside, there isn't one bad song on this CD . The Darkness put the fun back in rock music!

This album continues to get some serious airplay in my CD players. "Permission To Land" would have been somewhere in my top 15 of 2003 had I realized what I was missing!

I have seen the light with The Darkness! I hope you will too! I strongly recommend!