Reviews (page 2 of 8)
just some guys having fun
Solid Instrumentals Willy the Pimp Vocals kind of ruined it, so I'm glad the rest were just instrumentals Prolly listen to this sometimes while I study
Absolutely not. I don't care how "impressive" this guy's voice is; this belongs nowhere near me and certainly nowhere on a best albums list. This might have been revolutionary in the 80s, but that’s exactly when this genre should have died anyway. This had no business being released in the 21st century, or at all for that matter. The worst combination of corny and milquetoast. I powered through this one, but never again in a million years would I listen to this. Favorite tracks (favorite is a strong word): Love Is Only a Feeling
A totally forgettable band and album in my opinion. Not sure why they had the commercial success in England that they did but this is barely noise much less music.
Music was great. The singers voice triggered my misophonia. Couldn't take it.
594/1089 - Went in one ear and out the other.
I will not include the bonus track "Makin' Out" in this review. I will admit that I have probably listened to more of The Darkness than the average person would. I remember first hearing their big hit "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" on the soundtrack for Guitar Hero On Tour: Decades. Since then, I have heard the first half of this debut album, Permission to Land, alongside other select songs and albums from later in their career. It's not surprising why I keep coming back to them - a band deliberately harkening back to the glam rock of the 1970s, particularly Slade and Queen, with a touch of AC/DC-esque hard rock and Justin Hawkins's over-the-top falsetto delivery. But there are two key reasons why I keep coming back to The Darkness over other bands borrowing from glam rock and hard rock at the time. First, they actually wrote and composed kick-ass music with actual muscle to it, especially with Dan Hawkins' electrifying guitar work. Second, they come off as genuinely earnest in throwing back to these earlier styles. Sure, the music can be cheesy, especially when they do their own power ballads in "Love is Only a Feeling" and "Holding My Own". But the musicianship more often than not outshines any perceived cheesiness. Hell, I can get away with saying that "Friday Night" is the cock rock equivalent of The Cure's "Friday I'm in Love" that I never knew I needed, because the songwriting is that fun and well-constructed. I'll gladly take this over the likes of Jet, Hinder, or Buckcherry any day. So yeah, I did enjoy listening to Permission to Land. I'm glad The Darkness are still going out there, making consistently good music. Ain't nothing wrong with that.
Notable for Justin Hawkins’s operatic vocals. Love the anthemic “Givin Up” in particular. “I Believe in a Thing Called Love” obv a classic.
No No No
this was pretty fun
One solid banger but I probably won’t listen to this again
Super campy fun. Wears its influences on its sleeve for sure but it makes for a great listen. I Believe In A Thing Called Love was my fav song of the album. Love Is Only A Feeling (my fav first listen) and Love on the Rocks with No Ice were my other highlights
Black Shuck 3.2 Get Your Hands Off my Woman 3.3 Growing on Me 3.5 I Believe in a Thing Called Love 4 Love Is Only a Feeling 3.6 Givin' Up 3.4 Stuck in a Rut 3.2 Friday Night 3.4 Love on the Rocks with No Ice 3.8 Holding My Own 3.3 Score: 3.47
For real? I was so disappointed when I saw this come up because I remember the time that they had a radio single in 'I Believe in a Thing Called Love'. At that time you could turn on any classic rock radio station and hear constant AC/DC and Queen. I don't know who this is for. It's almost a careful distillation of the dumbest 'hard rock' tropes of bygone decades. I can't come up with a single viable rationale to have this on a list of albums to hear before I die because I can trace the provenance of every sound to some other piece of music that came before.
Justin Hawkins voice can be too much sometimes.
27/08/2026 This put a genuine smile on my face seeing this album. Growing up with the album and looking back now, considering it a cult masterpiece. Spotify listeners: 2.6 million
Hey, it's the song that goes "I believe in a thing called love, hubbahubbahubbahubbaahullahaaa." A true hallmark of songwriting. I adore Justin Hawkins's vocal, though as another reviewer pointed out, it kind of sounded like Freddie Mercury after inhaling helium. One album's worth is about as much Hawkins as I can take at once. The guy isn't subtle at all. Still, the music has an undeniably infectious energy about it. Black Shuck starts us off explosively, resembling a mix of glam and hair rock – perhaps taking notes from Iggy Pop and Guns N' Roses simultaneously. That outro, with "Black Shuck / That dog don't give a fuck" and other quirky vocal mannerisms smells especially of Axl and friends. Get Your Hands off My Woman is arguably even better. That guitar riff is thick as high heaven – sounds Nirvana- or at least grunge-, inspired – and is backed staunchly by the bass and drum patterns. Hawkins's crazed falsetto sings out over the top. Great solo towards the end, and everything gets wrapped into a neat under-three-minute package. Growing On Me is pretty strong too, though I'm less compelled by the vocals and hooks here. Then we get the insane, ridiculous, British melting-pot of genres and catchy melodies that is I Believe in a Thing Called Love. Elements of Queen, of T-Rex, of the entirety of the punk and glam-rock genres... And that chorus. Just perfect. After five consecutive tracks featuring a lot of heavy distorted guitar, we get a slightly slower, more lighthearted cut in Love Is Only a Feeling. Nice acoustic guitar intro and outro. Givin' Up: simple, loud, easy-listening on paper, completely over-the-top singing. And the music gets hairier by the minute. Incredible transition to Stuck in a Rut. Cool little guitar line around this point, plus the standout lyric "Kiss my ass, kiss my ass goodbye / Propelled by a carriage of aluminium am I". Also, "Ooh / Thank you master / Thank you master / *crazed cackling*". Friday Night, maybe the most normal-sounding song on the record. It gives the listener a bit of a break before the completely overblown "epic" that is Love on the Rocks with No Ice. Holding My Own is similarly self-insistent (like the Godfather), yet arguably a bit anonymous, as if it could've been recorded by quite a large number of hair metal bands from back in the day. Cool guitar part though. The grand finale, Makin' Out, is primarily a summary of all the tracks that preceded it. Its most notable feature is the climactic instrumental outro. 4/5 Key tracks: I Believe in a Thing Called Love, Love Is Only a Feeling, Stuck in a Rut
yeah
I quite enjoyed this rock and roll
They have a unique style that is kind of fun, but the song writing is only ok. 6/10
I think the Darkness got tarred with the novelty band brush (the outfits, the album cover and releasing a Christmas song with a pun on 'bell end' in the title probably didn't help), which might be why no one really bought the follow up. However, I also think they just genuinely loved hair metal at a time when it was deeply unfashionable. Permission to Land is campy (and patchy), but there are also some great tunes.
You could say this album came out 20 years too late. Or you could say it came out at the exact right time. If guitar forward glam rock is your thing, then this album is for you.
Genuine question: why in the name of FUCK is this in the book? I really don't like this album. A douchey pastiche of genuinely enjoyable glam and hard rock. Justin Hawkins' falsetto sounds like Tiny Tim, which would be fine if it wasn't screeching against distorted guitars and 2000s rock production. If it wasn't the only thing he seems to rely on to make an effort to sing, this would be far more enjoyable.
It's dumb, it's fun, it works!
GET YOU HANDS OFF OF MY WOMAN MOTHERFUCKER!
Knew 1 song and still like it. Some songs were okay but others had tooo much screeching for me.
Ok, so these guys go all in with every hair band trick in the tool bag and they largely pull it off. The music is solid and the lyrics work well with the tunes. The lead singer has receive a lot of grief for his vocals (bold falsetto and high octave screams), but I actually like it. It is one of the things that stands out well to me. In fact, the vocal risks really make the album stand out, and I would normally click three stars and move on. I am giving this album a 4 (3.7) by virtue of rounding up. If you end up liking this album, you will likely like the lead vocalist.
Lyssnade en del på detta när jag var yngre. Tror att det stack ut mycket för att det var ett band som faktiskt spelade på riktigt. Vem gillar inte gitarr rakt in i en förstärkare liksom. Justins röst är lite tjatig ibland
not a bad album. I have never heard of this group, but it is better than a lot of bands in this genre. Again, not my favorite genre (sort of hard rock/metal) but pretty good. I enjoyed listening to it although I don't think that I will try to listen to it again
Very mid.
i like them
Barely a decade after we buried this kind of music, The Darkness came back without anyone's consent
A good record. Although I'll always think of them as one hit wonders and somewhat derivative, I believe in a thing called love is a great song.
Some great guitar work but god that voice gets old fast
Everyone's having fun.
The same album review for the same album, not for me
Not really my cup of tea
So much better than it needs to be. Basically a novelty act with a singer doing silly falsetto but so many legitimately good songs - they never choose to be funny at the expense of being good.
like the ultimate glam rock tribute band from the 90s. sometimes too kitsch, other times too derivative, but I found myself bobbing my head for a lot of this album. I guess it's refreshing to see such a concept executed with such quality and passion. somehow I think a lot of these tracks could fit into a cheesy 00's b-movie
For a brief moment, Hawkins made glam rock cool again.
I don't really see why this made the list. The Darkness feels like a gimmicky one-hit-wonder band that built an entire sound around being a cliché hair band, and while that can be fun in small doses, it doesn't hold up especially well across an entire album. There are definitely some fun moments, but overall this is a very average rock album. It has plenty of energy and personality, but I don't think there's enough substance here to justify its place on this list.
Another album from my early years of listening to music. How could I not rate this a five? I Believe In A Thing Called Love is still my go-to karaoke song, and this whole album is just some really solid rock and roll.
Pretty solid rock album
Super fun
The vocals remind me of the tiptoe through the tulips man (can't remember his name)
The Good: We’re allowed to land! The Bad: We don’t know where we’re landing… The Ugly: Our usher did not look like the damsel on the album cover… This could very well be one of the last albums that I recall buying. After all, Pirate Bay was still out there… Don’t recall how many times I’ve listened to the album, plenty of times as it was in the cd-stack in my car… remember those, kids? It was a joy listening to it today, and I know that I will listen to it again tomorrow… it is a pick-me-uper for sure. Also, for those of you who like listening to music reviews, justinhawkinsridesagain.com… To all you hater… I believe in a thing called love, so I won’t hold your bad taste against you… 5*
I thought I hate it? But maybe not?!
didn't feel like an album for me, but it wasn't bad. kind of felt like they were playing on every hair metal trope 10-15 years after that was a trend though (lol).
Well, I knew "I Believe In A Thing Called Love" for years, and I was expecting this to be more stupid (complimentary) throwback metal. I was kind of surprised at how many different eras of rock/metal this album covered. "Growing On Me" is one of the best power-pop songs I've heard in a long time. While I didn't pay close attention to the lyrics, it felt like they switched seamlessly between dumb braggadocio and deep sincerity. It's always nice to be unexpectedly delighted by an album in this project, and Permission To Land delivered on that.
This album sounds like it's from 1983, not 2003. In this case, that's not a bad thing.
Fine, not so serious rock. How many times can that sentence describe an album on this list. Fave track: I Believe In A Thing Called Love
And the run comes to an end. Vocals are really annoying and kind of cringe. 1.5/5
I don't have much to say about this album other than "it's really fun" and "I can't believe this came out in 2003." This is pure, unadulterated, goofy throwback glam rock, with heavy guitar riffs, catchy guitars, and a ridiculously flamboyant singer. It's not doing anything new or innovative with the form, but it's not trying to. It just wants you to accept its raw silliness, and if you're able to do that, you're gonna have an amazing time with this record, like I did. If there's one thing that separates it from the hard rock of the 80s that it's imitating, it's how much more consciously silly it's being. The band isn't being ironic about it, far from it, but they're cranking the inherent humor found in 80s hair metal up to 11, and that line between taking the craft seriously but having a fun-loving attitude about it is the secret sauce that makes this album work as well as it does.
5: I will happily play this album anytime 4: I may occasionally play this album of my own free will 3: I will happily listen to this if someone plays it in the background 2: I will tolerate this if it is playing in the background 1: I will leave the room if someone plays this in the background Essential? Absolutely not. But in 2003 this was great nod back to the 70s/80s hard/hair rock.
Tongue in cheek stadium rock. Total marmite band but I love the silliness
I hate sorta liking music like this lol For the most part this is just a really fun album, designed to be catchy, singable, and easy to enjoy. I’ve heard I Believe in a Thing Called Love plenty of times, never knew that was what it was called. It definitely doesn’t feel like a 2003 album, it does a pretty good job of feeling like an 80s album at times This is a pretty shallow album unfortunately, not a whole lot of inspirational messages in this one. Get Your Hands off my Woman is just kinda weird and didn’t care for it. I got used to his voice by the end of the album, but I really don’t care for the parts he sings falsetto; vocals are actually pretty nice otherwise Even though I don’t think this is a particularly great album, I would much rather listen to this than some other albums I rated 3s. It just feels kinda immature and the kinda thing you’d think was the coolest thing when you were 12, but can absolutely see it being a guilty pleasure
Bruh I was gonna say this was good for an 80s band and then I found out that this album is, in fact, from 2003
This feels like a very unoriginal brand of hard rock, blending pop melodies and catchy choruses with AC/DC influenced guitar work. Yeah, nothing new here but hey! There are some enjoyable stuff hidden here for sure. "Black Shuck" is a great opener, but unfortunately the album goes downhill after it. The song structures are all identical, which is an enormous problem. There's also a lack of good soloing (I feel like hard rock NEEDS good guitar solos) and there are none to be found here. Sometimes, the guitarist plays some melodies that at times even sound like short and simple solos but theres nothing mind blowing. The other two highlights are "Love on the Rocks with No Ice", and "Love is Only A Feeling", a power ballad that is quite decent after all. The vocal work is definitely worth mentioning, and the choruses, despite being all too repetitive, are incredibly catchy, which is a plus in my books. Anyways, "Permission to Land" is an average hard rock all in all, being pop-ish and catchy. So, if you enjoy this kind of music go for it.
The album is a throwback to 80s hair metal. It's fun an all, but to my mind the music is too slicked-out and inauthentic.
I like the revival, but it doesn't go too far beyond being a fun and decent but mostly forgettable version of its inspirations, with a couple stand-out songs
Rock'n'roll básico com uma roupagem moderna. Regular, mediano.
Hair metal/glam rock for the new millennia.
preferred the second half to the first but this is so fun, and I Believe In A Thing Called Love is suuuuch a fucking banger
1.5 For some songs (first half of the album) I thought the singer's voice would fit a different type of music better maybe love is only a feeling and friday night seemed more musically cohesive(?) to me, the voice fit really well in these zoomed out at "givin' up" and "stuck in a rut" overall I preferred the second half of the album, but I don't plan on revisiting this one
I remember when this album came out, my friend Claire made all of us listen to it on repeat and played it at all the house parties and bought an orange leotard to wear to their concert. This is how I imagined Lestat’s Vampire Band would look and sound like I wonder if that’s what The Darkness used as inspiration.
I vividly remember hearing I Believe in a Thing Called Love on the radio and immediately going to the record store to buy the CD. I wasn't disappointed then and I'm not disappointed now. From the bombastic opener of Black Shuck to the closer of Makin' Out, Permission to Land is a love letter to the hedonistic rock and roll of the 1970s. It would be easy to roll your eyes due to Just Hawkins and his piercing falsetto vocals, low cut one piece leotard jumpsuits, and the AC/DC riffs, but The Darkness are talented and are committed to the gig. I think that makes it more of an homage to their influences than a shtick. Regardless, it's fun listening filled with soaring vocals, killer hooks, and one of the best rock songs of the 00s packed in for good measure.
I believe in a thing called love is definitely the highlight of the album, but the rest of it is surprisingly solid, campy, and fun
I expected this to be a little punkier (but I may have been thinking of The Damned), but I still enjoyed this quite a bit. It's largely glam inflected hard rock with some really catchy songwriting and, perhaps most importantly, *very* distinct vocals. I actually really like Justin Hawkins' vocals and think that he's one of the biggest factors here that makes this album really stand out to me. He has such a powerful falsetto that I could even see how it could be a turn off for some people. He takes songs like Black Shuck, I Believe In A Thing Called Love, and Love On The Rocks With No Ice from solid hard rock to *really* good songs. This isn't perfect or anything, and it's not always my thing, but Permission to Land is at least consistently enjoyable.
One of my personal all-time favorite guilty pleasure albums. Such a fun time.
I remember seeing The Darkness live at Glastonbury, just as they were about to hit it big. They did a cover of Street Spirit. It was rare to see Metal at Glastonbury, even if it was tongue in cheek ponce metal. But The Darkness has always had a bumit of fun to their game - they knkw what they're doing, they're happily over the top, and they thankfully don't spend their time singing about women and booze like the other ponce metal bands of the 80s that they are partially aping. There's little reason this should be here over any of the bands they are emulating - especially the genuinely good bands - beyond this being an incredible success. But it's fun, the tunes are memorable, and it was an antithesis to rest of the mostly shite 'The' bands taking rock backwards in the Noughties (Strokes, Hives, Killers etc).
Good album. 'I Believe in a Thing Called Love' is an absolute banger and 'Friday Night' is an amazing song, probably the best song on the album. Though I think a lot of the songs would be better if he want on a higher pitch when singing. For instance, 'Holding My Own' I think would be way better if he just sang in his lower pitch.
Imagine a cover band that loves playing covers of Queen, T. Rex and AC/DC, hires a boy soprano, and starts composing tracks that sound suspiciously similar to the bands they’ve been covering with such ease for years. Voilà – you’re listening to the debut album "Permission to Land" by The Darkness. When it was released in the early 2000s, it was a huge hit with younger music fans, who thought it was the most brilliant idea since sliced bread. However, if you know anything about music history, the references to mainstream rock in the 1970s are so obvious that they're almost cringe-worthy. It's all very well done and catchy, and Justin Hawkins’ yodelling – sorry, singing – is impressive, but to me it's just old hat. And over the course of a whole album, it's rather tiring and annoying. When I do want to listen to music like this, I prefer the originals.
Rock bien rhythmé avec voix aigue chouette, mais moins mon style
Esperaba más de este, sin embargo no quita lo muy bien simentado que estaba el mismo álbum.
Fuck the hell yeah, I LOVE this album. Have done since the day it was released. I went to see them perform it in full for its 10th anniversary and that still ranks as one of the best concerts I’ve ever been to. Obviously I Believe In A Thing Called Love is the mega hit from this, and I do like it, but I would rank at least 5 songs ahead of it. Growing On Me for example was a far stronger single to come from the album while Friday Night has the same silliness as IBIATCL but I’ve always preferred it out of the two. Love Is Only A Feeling is the standout track for me though. A genuinely great power ballad without the same level of goofiness the rest of the album has. A special mention for Holding My Own as well. Surprisingly brilliant to hear live but in my teenage innocence, it honestly took me years to work out what it was about 🤦♂️ Top Track - Love Is Only A Feeling
It’s like the Weird Al version of Hair Metal, only so ironic that it’s actually fucking hard.
Kinda cheesy rock, but still very fun
I believe in a thing called loveeeEEEEEEeeeeeee is perhaps one of favorite songs and lyrics ever. Pretty good album!
Excellent nostalgia 👍
I was not familiar. This is just delightful. Edgy and energetic.
Rubbish
This was poppy and decent. Only I believe in a thing called love really stood out.
Love ‘I believe in a thing called love’ :-)!!! I can’t believe it’s already 23 years since this came out. Wouldn’t play the whole album again (not quite my genre), hence the three stars.
has AC/DC vibes Favorite track: I believe in a thing called love other picks: love is only a feeling, growing on me
A covers band that thinks they're too good to cover the original tracks.
Fun and great energy. Love the vibe. Just hate the terrible falsetto. WAY overused.
Eh. Not impressed.
Another mediocre album. Sure, I’ve heard the one track on the radio before. Never stuck around to really listen to it much, though, as it isn’t that good. And the rest of the album didn’t even hit that high again. The big problem I have with this is that the lead singer is trying to sound like those wailing 80s hard rock / metal singers and he comes up woefully hollow by comparison. It’s not horrible, but it’s closer to that than really good, so it gets 2 stars.
I really loathed The Darkness when they came out, they seemed to just be a joke band spoofing music like hair metal and Queen that I didn't like in the first place. I was quite a serious, po-faced young man at the time and liked Radiohead and Interpol and nothing that seemed too much like enjoyment for enjoyment's sake. However, since then I've become a little less earnest and watched a few of the Justin Hawkins YouTube videos where he breaks down other people's songs in an entertaining way. So I went into this with an open mind and I appreciate a bit more now why this was big at the time. I don't like the falsetto vocals much and still don't like I Believe In A Thing Called Love but overall it's kind of fun and most of the songs don't drag on too long. I'm in no rush to go back to it but it's a solid 3.
This has no business being so good
Modern glam rock let's go
🤘🏿🤘🏿🤘🏿
I was surprised I’d never heard of this. The opening riff is enough of a hook that kept me interested in the album and that says something. Better than the average 3 so I’ll round up. 3.5/5
If you don’t think this album is at all fun to listen to, you have no rock n roll DNA in ya. Such a cheesy, campy collision of sounds that honor many of the hair metal bands of the 80s/90s. Oftentimes sounding better than the very bands they are mimicking, even with overused falsetto vocals. All with a wink and a smile by the band just hoping you’ll come along for the parody ride.
The Darkness is one of those bands that I really want to like. They are rockers and I appreciate that. Justin Hawkins has an enjoyable YouTube channel. It’s amazing how he can say something that sounds so innocent and then you realize it was kind of a backhanded insult. His voice is…let’s say unique. Dude can sing but that high falsetto, opera, whatever thing it is can get old. First couple songs I was thinking this was going to be a slog. But then it settled in. Thing Called Love is a nice song. I enjoy a lil shout of “guitar” and then the solo kicks in. Love is only a feeling a good tune. All in all, a solid album that matches my tastes. Just not enough to round up. 3.5
Is this album great? No. Is it fun as hell? Yep. And sometimes you just need music to bring you joy, man. “Get your hands off my woman, motherfucker” is some S tier songwriting… 3.5/5
That rocked damn! Hard to pick standouts it was solid throughout!
🙂
This falls in the 3 to 4 range. I'm going to give it the slight edge because it was more in-line with the rock I know and enjoy.
This was just woefully bad. Falsetto voice, cheesy music, wanted to be GnR, wanted to be Queen, wanted to be Iron Maiden. Wasn't any of them and worse. Every time I looked hoping this may be the last song, there would still be more. 41 minutes that felt like 4 hours.
I can appreciate this as an unserious parody album though that's not really my thing. A fun little romp, but not essential. Favorite track: I Believe in a Thing Called Love
every falsetto singer just really needs to calm the fuck down
One of the best album openers ever recorded, followed by a steady stream of bangers. This band is honest about who they are and what they are trying to do. “Permission To Land” is a triumph from start to finish. Without exaggeration, one of my favourite albums of all time.
Doesn’t do much to me I don’t know why. The falsetto made me laugh. Also slightly out of tone. Mixed belting sounds good. But overall the vocal is on the amusing side.
super fun album. its a shame that they weren't able to stay on the charts with their later music, but this definitely makes me want to take a deep dive into what they did after this album. obviously, 'I Believe in a Thing Called Love' is the front runner here. an absolute smash hit that still slaps after all these years. the album as a whole - its fun, its quirky, and its un-apologetically itself. its a great showcase that glam-rock, when done correctly and creatively, can be truly fantastic. i'm really waffle-ing on how to score this. its probably a 9/10, but giving it a four i think does a diservice. i'll rank it a 5, because it actually does make me want to explore The Darkness more as a band, and the vibes are off the charts.
Definitely not everyone’s cup of tea, but still has an absolute banger with I Believe in a Thing Called Love. There’s a bunch of songs I already had added to my library on this album, so it was a lot of fun to get to return to this and give it another listen.
Awesome album! Feels really out of place for 2003 though. I always thought "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" was from the 70's or 80's. The rest of the album keeps that sound and vibe making it a fun listen. A really underrated band.
Faves: I Believe in a Thing Called Love ofc Love is Only a Feeling
Even though this sounds like a late 80’s hair album, I enjoyed it. I would have liked it better without the over-the-top falsetto. In any case, I don’t need to hear it again, and it gets three stars.
The Darkness makes me think of Eli Baird for some reason.
Virkelig godt for hvad det er med faslet, balleterts og guitarsoloer. Jeg er på bagkant også imponeret over, at de har ramt noget useriøst og legende en tidsperiode, der var dyster. Virkelig solide sange hele vejen igennem og overraskede meget positivt, selvom jeg burde kende det bedre.
It's okay, nice sound.
Favorite Track: Love is Only a Feeling
Not heard this in full in many many years. Good fun.
Nothing special fir me on this one.
Meh rock album
I remember liking this more in the past. Am I biased because I've listened to this a bunch, or it just not as great as I remember?
Perfect. No notes. I am afraid to look at the other reviews because I suspect the average will be somewhere below 5.
Wow, this takes me back. I remember seeing the "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" music video when it premiered, and how that song caught fire. It's an undeniable jam, and The Darkness's sound as loving tribute to the rock bands of the 70's and 80's is weaponized to great ear-wormy effect. To their credit, The Darkness isn't trying to be any one band in particular (a la Greta Van Fleet's unabashed Led Zeppelin-worship), and they aren't aping on the period of the genre like Steel Panther; The Darkness is simply updating the sound for 2003. That's not to say the band doesn't fall into some of the same 70's and 80's pitfalls and tendencies as their predecessors, but they certainly managed to craft a solid rock album.
The Brit slant of this entire list continues. Here's another album that barely did much in the States but was a staple on the island. "I Believe In A Thing Called Love" still gets some airplay and you'll hear it in ads but no one ever listens to all 3:36 of it, it wears on you. The lead singer goes to his signature falsetto wail WAY too often, there's simply no way I could listen to all 42 minutes of this album in a single sitting. I like his voice when he's not wailing (see "Stuck In A Rut"), his lower register is Rock n' Roll (see start of "Growing On Me"). "Love Is Only A Feeling" is a good rock ballad and the guitar is big. To include this and not an album like "Escape" by Journey, "5150" by Van Halen, "Screaming For Vengeance" by Judas Priest, or "Dirty Deeds" by AC/DC and so many more is hypocritical or just plain stupid. 3 stars. Some of it's really good. Some of it's super annoying ("Givin' Up", "Stuck In A Rut"). Some of it's just weak (Friday Night", "Love On The Rocks...") but it's not a Must-Hear for me.
Thanks, I hate it
Paar echt toffe nummers, maar ook wat missers
Certainly not bad, but most of the songs don't stick with me; might go up on relistens, generally interesting and smooth
The Darkness are probably one of rock's biggest anachronisms. When other bands made back-to-basics garage rock and pretentious indie, they made unapologetically bombastic glam rock. And it is good when taken as unapologetically bombastic glam rock. It is incredibly ridiculous and over-the-top in many ways, not least the falsetto vocals. The lyrics are as ridiculous as you'd expect, laced with F-bombs for maximum impact on the listener(in a goofy, tongue-in-cheek way). This probably isn't essential listening, but at least it's entertaining in a way few 2003 albums were. This album is ranked #8 of 14 albums for 2003. Other 2003 albums rated by me: Elephant(1/14)-4 Frank(2/14)-4 Hail to the Thief(3/14)-3 So Much For the City(12/14)-2
A fun album, and a rather surprising hit for 2003. "I Believe In A Thing Called Love" is a great track, and Justin Hawkins is a compelling frontman, but I ultimately find this album a bit too backward-looking and maximalist for my taste.
Some catchy songs. I Believe in a Thing Called Love
Good times. I remember this very well from my student house. It's aged like a fine wine. I'm surprised how much I've enjoyed this today. Friday Night and Love on the Rocks With no Ice are both brilliant fun.
Kinda campy, kinda fun, nothing special.
Some very high moments with some otherwise low and feeling like a Rivers Cuomo side project. Without the derivative formulaic parts it is amazing
Ok
4.3/5
Good album.
Никогда не любил глэм-метал. И слушать альбом 2007 года выпуска было крайне тяжело. Скипнул на 4 песне. Почему он в этом списке? Было бы здорово, если бы эксперты добавляющие тот или иной альбрм давали комментарии почему альбом должен быть в этом списке.
I fucking love the guitar on this. It's not neither creative nor interesting, but it's got that classic 90s crunch. But my god the rock-opera vocals ruin the entire vibe.
Not all fun music is a long-term friend. Plenty of fun rides, in fact, get old quick. I saw this record in the queue and assumed this had gotten old, quick, for a reason. Now I say not necessarily true! I don't really need to hear I Believe in a Thing Called Love again any time soon, but Love Is Only a Feeling and Given' Up are legitimately good songs. Add to that to that an enduring incredulity of Justin Hawkins' elastic voice. He was better than most OG hair metal singers. I am also not surprised that he eventually hurt his voice doing those gymnastics all the time.
A pretty good album, I liked I Believe In A Thing Called Love and Love Is Only A Feeling the most.
Incredibly random album haha. The guy’s voice made me so angry but some of the songs and guitar playing kicked absolute ass!
Why did this kinda rock. Jellyfish vibes but not as good and the singer is doing vocal backflips.
3.5 rounded up
Some of this is ok (e.g., Friday Night), but the lead singer’s vocals got tiring real quick. 2.5 rounded down.
I like “I believe in a thing called love” for about a minute. Maybe two. This album dares to ask, what if that song were 42 minutes long? Sometimes the riffs hit right and sometimes the vibe/singing/sophomoric humor really didn’t.
This is as good as modern rock has ever gotten.
Super high energy and a fun listen, only brought down in my vote by the extreme falsetto style that I found really cringey. Which is a shame because this album really was fun, I'll say it's a charitable 4 stars.
Solid hard rock, but that's a lot of Justin Hawkins' falsetto to consume in one sitting. 3 stars.
Lindo pero absolutamente olvidable para mí Nota: 3.3
OK. Couple be pretty good with different vocalist.
Kadett, Lodz, Polen. Okay, nervt aber auf Albumlänge.
Laughed my ass off listening to this lol. The falsettos are deliberately performed in the corniest way possible, over the most ridiculous lyrics, and that's hilarious to me. Their most famous song, which I wasn't familiar with, is as humorous as it is sweet. Just an overall blast of an album.
★★½
Mediocre at best
I had a lot of fun with this, and its clear that the band did too.
I never really cared about their big hit I Believe in a Thing Called Love, so I didn't have high hopes for this album. And yeah... I found this pretty middling. The best thing I can say about this is that it sounds like they were having fun. Low 3.
Very very popular on release and I for one purchased the CD (look it up kids). Looking back now, it feels kinda silly, like they were trying TOO hard to puncture the earnestness of The Strokes / White Stripes etc. Justin Hawkins could easily be a total helmet, but appears to be a genuinely lovely guy and it was certainly a refreshing homage to the sheer BALLS OUT fun of hair metal.
First time listener here to both this album and this band. A lot to like here. I was surprised how many songs I recognized. The actual music gets high marks from me, but there are some times where his higher vocals take me out of it. And that is typically something I don’t mind, it’s just his style I suppose. Still a solid hard rock record. 4/5
Når det e gøy e det kjempegøy, og resten av tida e det bare litt slitsomt.
I'm willing to give these guys a little more credit than they would probably deserve, because I'm pretty sure they're doing this tongue-in-cheek. Because I have trouble assuming they earnestly tried to resurrect 80s hair metal. They could certainly pass for a glam band from 1984.
goeie hair/glam metal om luchtgitaar op te spelen.. maar een hele plaat na elkaar is mss van het goeie teveel
There are better, more original examples of this type of music out there. It’s fun but it is still derivative of things that came 10-30 years before without adding much to it.
No. 221 Rather jolly. No real duds but no standouts either.
I suppose this is sort of fun in a campy way, but that doesn't make it great. Most of the lyrics are just a big gooey cheeseball, and I genuinely cannot tell if I think the vocals are super impressive or super atrocious. This was a decent way to spend some time, but I can't say I loved it. Fave tracks: - Get Your Hands of My Woman - Givin' Up - Stuck in a Rut - Love on the Rocks with No Ice - Makin' Out
it’s loud…i can imagine listening to this album when i’m high. Growing on me feel’s like those songs crushing on someone would sound like in teenage years. love is only a feeling is so WOWWWWWWWWWW!! i can actually listen to friday night all friday!!! holding my own the electric guitar is in point! it’s a solid 8/10
I love this album. I listened to it so much
Solid album. I only knew "I'll Believe In A Thing Called Love" before this, and that track rules. I'm not the biggest hair metal guy, so I'm not really the target audience, but have to say, was fairly enjoyable. "Growing On Me" and "Friday Night" were other standout tracks.
This fucks
Wasn’t looking forward to this one. Loved it!! Good old rock & roll. Yeah I know that it’s a bit of an AC/DC ripoff but doesn’t try to take itself too seriously.
I made it halfway through this album before I realized it was just the same song repeated over and over again.
I feel sort of dirty saying it, but this album has some absolute bangers on it.
Riffs over lyrics, stereotypical but still enjoyable
It’s a fun album for sure, they pull of the glam revival thing for the most part but ultimately after the first five tracks they’ve run out of steam and any other new ideas
I had a limited knowledge of these guys, only knowing their song "I Believe In A Thing Called Love", which i found okay, but didn't wow me. I think I realized this album was pretty good when I heard the chorus "Get your hands off my woman, motherfucker" sung in falsetto. This is a album that, all at the same time, champions this kind of rock, lampoons it, and takes it somewhere different. A unique sound that I'm here for.
Somewhere between parody and actual rock gods. Played with such utter enthusiasm and joy, I loved it from the first ott riff to the last!
It was dark indeed-I felt I was taken to a place that was lacking.
Permission not to listen.
Is Justin on a permanent sugar rush? Fun but not a lot of depth.
Like Mariah Carey had AC/DC as her backing band. Thing is, I like AC/DC. 2*
I weirdly liked this a lot, probably my biggest surprise of the almost 300 albums I’ve listened to so far
It's not the greatest rock album ever recorded. And I'm not a fan of hair metal at the best of times. But this is a surprising amount of fun even 23 years later, not just because we get the word motherfucker stretched over something like five or seven notes.
THIS was critically acclaimed in 2003? I would hardly believe 1983... but 2003? Seriously? Is that a grand joke?
Holy shit this guy's voice is annoying
Nicht direkt mein Sound
Not very good. Two stars. Thrash/speed metal. Head banging. Singer is not good. Loud guitar with a lot of hooks. Repetitious. Get your hands off my woman. That just about sums up their attitudes to women.
It’s well done I guess
I was prepared to hate on this cause I detest those ironic rediscoveries / embraces of a genre ... but I have to admit these guys are doing their thing bery well and with love. The songs rock, the guitars sound tastefully crunchy ... but the singer's falsetto is just zoo over the top.
If you’ve heard their version of “I Believe In A Thing Called Love”, I think you can probably skip the rest of this album. It’s a fun romp, through the days of arena-era hair metal, but that’s all I can really say. Musically, it doesn’t feel like they’re doing anything extremely different than Buckcherry or a few other party rock bands at the time. It missed the hair metal era by a few decades, glam rock by at least one more, and it didn’t kickstart a new era of either. So, it’s just… a tribute act? It’s a good time, but not list-worthy.
Fabulous glam rock
How the hell did this make it on this list??!!!! Awful lyrics, horrendous falsetto, unoriginal music, this downright bad. I hope I never have to listen to this again.
Quite a funny one with riffs you expect from a glam rock album and some bangers. The voice is annoying and that's probably what's ruining it. 3.5
I can take a song or two but really this just needed to stay as a quirky remnant of the 2000s, not an album for this list
It's ok
Just because an album includes one popular hit amid forgettable tracks does not mean it is an album I need to listen to before I die, exhibit I Bland brit pop, 2000s edition. Honestly I would probably give this 3 stars normally, but in the context of this list, 2 feels generous
This was a good listen! I don’t think this album is for me: as talented as the singer is, it was hard for me to enjoy the constant falsetto. That said, I did like a few of the tracks. 3.5/5.
SO MUCH FUN loved this when it came out, still love it there needs to be more glam rock in the world
it was ok, definitely not my style but not horrible either
Great retro hard rock that still sounds new. I never listened to any song beyond the one I believe in a thing called love, but there were some other good songs.
Glam Rock, well hallelujah. But sadly, featuring the annoying high pitched screech of Justin Hawkins 😕 Where are Slade? (edit: happily, just checked, we have that joy still to come 🥳 )
Well well well. I simply don't know what to make of this. I have never been ENTIRELY sure whether the darkness were a sort of parody or not. Only knowing the (amazing) "I believe in a thing called love" and the (amazing... parody?) "christmas time: don't let the bells end" (lol). Knowing they were a one(ish) hit wonder, it's therefore not shocking at all that the rest of this album doesn't reach the heady heights of IBIATCL. However, I still had a good time and hey, they were really trying... something.
"I believe in a thing called love" and "friday night" are bangers, but an entire album of this is a bit much for a tuesday morning
This album came out about the time I stopped listening to music on a regular basis as I was part of a family. I had kids to raise and didn't have the brain power or extra money to continue to buy releases. It was the beginning of streaming and it was getting harder to find new music. This is one of the reasons that I am doing the project. So, yeah, I have heard of The Darkness but I hadn't listened. Opening sounds like listening to Motley Crue or AC/DC for the first time. This is fun and cock rock. Dumb and fun. The falsetto reminds me of something but I can't place it. Maybe I heard them on the radio. The second song reminds me of the band Toronto. Guitar driven rock verging on parody. Motherfucker is always good to hear in a song. If you know what I mean. Another song that 18 year old me would love. Goofy, and easily singalong. Growing on me. Such an 80s throwback. Yeah, this is hair metal revisited. Sometimes you just want to play air guitar in a dark room and think about the partners you don't have. There it is. I Believe in a Thing Called Love. This is the song that I was thinking about when I heard the falsetto on the first song. I remember singing to this on the radio and thinking this is so much cheese. Banger of a number. Worth a listen by itself. Love is Only a Feeling - sounds like "This one is for the ladies". More of a slow lighter fueled ballad where you don't have to bop but sway. It gives the same gleeful experience as watching Nicolas Cage play Dracula or any of the Evil Nick characters. Super fun. Sometimes a bit over the top and you either go with it or turn it off. Makin' Out. Yup. Definite AC/DC vibes. I would go see this band depending on the opener. A good night for headbanging and drinking beer. There are a few songs that I don't care about but there would be nothing for me to turn the whole album off. It is definitely a vibes album where there are some times where it would be too cheesy and the feelings are lactose intolerant. Worth a 3.
55
eher einfach gestrickt - aber komplizierte texte, so dass der gesang etwas bemüht wirkt
Etwas konventioneller Rock.
OK, so it's standard rock tunes with a notable gimmick. But what a gimmick! And it's so much fun! Break out the air guitar and your best falsetto (or your worst) and strut your stuff - enjoy!
A fun, but inconsequential, listen. In a positive way. I Believe In A Thing Called Love will probably be stuck in my head for the rest of the week. I won’t remember any of the other songs. But the energy and style is so enjoyable. 70s glam rock from the early 2000s. Enjoyed the whole thing. I Believe In A Thing Called Love
lame!
A band created almost entirely to win Eurovision
Honestly this is a pretty fun listen, but not really something that will ever enter my regular rotation.
It's a fun album, and I think it had probably the biggest hit of that new-wave of hair-metal rock music. I Believe in a Thing Called Love, absolute banger. The rest of the album is fine, but certainly not hits.
So... is the reason this album is on this list is because it harkens back to the days of 80s hair metal? Because if that's the case, I'd rather just listen to the real thing.
Very below average. Just seemed like they weren’t trying
I liked black shuck, but nothing else stood out.
not for me.
Greta Van Fleet should be compared more to this band than Led Zeppelin 2.5
yea it's fun.
good not great tho
Good glamish rock 3.5/5
The vocals were somehow both good and bad, all at once
Very fun record. Obviously the vocals are impressive and he doesn't rely on the gimmick too much. Very fun glam rock that doesn't take itself too seriously.
Horrible sleeve. Dreadfully retro. I doubt the world really needed a return to this kind of stuff in 2003, but bizarrely this was hugely popular in the UK. I don't see it myself.
Fun but not quite all there
I respect making glam in 2003. I didn't like it that much for whatever reason. I liked the opening guitar part before the vocals. Also the tapping at the opening to the bonus track Makin' Out
I can't tell if this a bad good album, or if it is a good bad album. But it is obnoxious, silly, loud, and a ton of fun. I remember how over the top the video was for I Believe In A Thing Called Love. It rode the razors edge of glam metal revival and outright parody. The rest of the album plays largely the same way, being over the top, but that is the point. I'd rank this a 3 or 4 depending on my mood. The schtick can wear thin over time, but it's listenable, and clearly does not take itself too seriously.
"I Believe in a Thing Called Love" is a legendary karaoke song. Don't know much else about this group, though. It seems like they tried to bring back glam rock and hair metal in the early 00's, as this wasn't like anything else you heard on rock radio around that time. It's bordering on corny, but it's just so damn fun to listen to in all honesty.
this is a little too much almost kinda cringe
Great album. Extremely underrated (if published in the 70s, this would be a classic). I saw them live once and it was great fun. Nothing disruptive, but really good guitar-based hard rock. I think all songs are good...and some are great. A few favourites: "Black Shuck" (perfect energetic starter), "Growing on me" (perfect pre-Chorus), "I Believe in a thing called love" (so you wanted to have some guitars?), "Love is only a feeling" (such a well produced song...perfect outro), "Friday night" (a great power-pop song; simply irresistible, with a The Cure influence), "Love on the Rocks with No Ice" (classic sound and progressions,...). Well, I guess we have at least a 4-star album here (if not 5 stars). Feeling sorry for those who can't enjoy this album.
Really enjoyed this one-- it was great driving around music. The lead singer's falsetto is CRAZY with the kind of high notes he hits. Highlights: Black Shuck, Growing on Me, I Believe in a Thing Called Love, Friday Night
+: Stuck in a Rut, Friday Night +-: I Believe in a Thing Called Love, Love on the Rocks with No Ice -: Black Shuck, Get Your Hands off My Woman, Growing on Me, Love Is Only a Feeling, Givin' Up, Holding My Own 2,7/10
Es muy divertido y tiene muy buen ritmo. Me pregunto cómo lo hubieran recibido en los 80s
Dios por que canta asi jajajajajajjaja La banda suena bien encima todo cool, pero el cantante me distrae, es como que cante valeria lynch en motley cru
I couldn't figure out the guys voice
Alright
Other than the naked woman on the cover (which is actually a visual thing, and not auditory at all!), I'm at a complete loss in figuring out why I needed to "hear" this album before I die. Admittedly, 1001 is a LOT of albums, with room for a LOT of personal subjective choices. But while competently performed, nothing here offers anything that about a dozen hair bands from the 80s didn't do equally well. I guess maybe the album cashed in on nostalgia, and probably there are lots of people a generation younger than me that can sing along with these songs as effortlessly as I can still belt out "Wanted Dead of Alive," "Pour Some Sugar on Me," "Here I Go Again," and "November Rain." But Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, Whitesnake, and Guns 'n Roses did it a decade and a half BEFORE these guys, and there's a reason that hair band sound became a joke in the 90s: it had pretty much been played out. There's nothing new here. Just nostalgia.
Okay enough
Really fun album supported by I Believe in a Thing Called Love. Is it good? No, but it’s a hell of a good time and in 2003 this was like nothing else.
The first three songs are as ridicule as the cover art. Why would you do something like that in 2003 ? It's probably a kind of parody or something but it lands flat from my pov. Will it get on my nerves and get a 1 or will it blend in the background and be 2? Time will tell.
No.
You know, I appreciate how earnest this album is for what essentially is throwback 80's cock rock (I think it has a lot to do with the singers voice). In comparison to bands like Motley Crue, it doesn't sound like this band exudes STDs and heroin (despite Hawkins' drug use). But yeah, it's a fairly fun album with the crowd pleaser in I Believe in a Thing Called Love. My only real complaint is that this album in no way belongs on a list of 1001 Albums You Must Listen To. Hell, there aren't many glam/hair metal or rock albums from their heyday that belong within a country mile of this list, let alone one from 2003.
No, no, no. I don't like this at all. Puke emoji.
The vocals are a bit too high
Wears out its welcome a bit
I kinda love this album. It's actually a solid rock and roll album, while also being a bit of a caricature of 80s hair metal and ACDC. That being said, it's a fun, loud record with great tracks. Highlights: "I Believe In A Thing Called Love" and "Love is Only A Feeling"
Barely listened.
Anti-Camp Camp
Is this dude yodeling? Falsettos are hard to pull off convincingly. I don't think the singer is doing it here. The band is clearly having the time of their lives and the energy is palpable, but this guy's vocals are just too distracting. The pieces are fine -- good enough Glam/Hair Metal/Rock -- that would have scored a '3' or more from me -- but he just needs to knock it off and keep it down a register or two. (2/5) For the effort. There was a plan here, but I just didn't like the end result.
Another album and artist I was completely unfamiliar with and had no idea what to expect, and somehow the reimagined 80s hair band schtick surprised me. Immediately thrown for a loop by the lead singer, who took A LOT of getting used to and dispelled any seriousness right out of the gate.. By the chorus of "Get Your Hands off My Woman" I was laughing out loud, and by the second chorus I was singing along. Not all of these are bangers, and the lack of variety kinda grates at times, but between the unnecessary vocal gymnastics this one was a pretty decent ride. Not sure that I'll be revisiting much beyond the aforementioned song, but the chuckles alone buy it a 3/5.
Variety: 3 Adequacy: 5 Listenability: 4 Uniqueness: 3 Emotionality: 2 = 3.4 rounded down to 3 "We'll give you crazy performance/ We'll give you grounds for divorce/ We'll give you piece de resistance/ And a tour de force, of course!" It's been a while, but I remember liking this enough when it came out to buy it. I think a lot of people dismissed them as a complete joke, when they were winking just enough for me. The music videos, Hawkins's outfits all played into this. The music itself is pretty strait forward tribute to early 70s Queen and Slade and glam infused hard rock in general. Moreso than the 80s hair metal I think they get unfairly compared to. True enough that hair metal also drew on the 70s glam and hard rock though. So fair enough. Been a good decade though since I've heard any of it aside from the big hit. THE TRACKS "Black Shuck" - Heavy notes from Queen/ Queen II era here with along with some Sparks vocal influences. Maybe a bit of AC/DC thrown in for good measure. Fun, very solid hard rock throwback stuff. "Get Your Hands off My Woman" - The humor is apparent in the lyrics sure, but the songs is pretty balls to the wall hard rock. It should not be as catchy as it is, but here we are. The way the song soars back into the stratosphere after the breakdown 2/3 of the way through is excellent stuff. "Growing on Me" - What if Freddie Mercury did a set with prime Van Halen? Would it sound maybe a little like this? An ode to STDs that's up there with "Burning for You" by Blue Osyter Cult in my opinion. "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" - The big hit. This one was all over MTV for a hot minute. And I still here it on satellite radio once in a blue moon. This one calls to mind early Cheap Trick, and would qualify as some high level power pop to me. This will certainly be the one the band is remembered for if anything. If hunting around for this on Youtube, beware of low quality shitty sounding uploads. And while the music video is not necessary, it's definitely worth seeking out. "Love Is Only a Feeling" - Even the best guitar heroes feel the pressure to dip into the schmatlz. Of any track so far on the album, this has the most in common with 80s hair metal. Specifically when those bands are in love ballad mode. Not awful by those standards, but maybe a bit TOO earnest and sappy for me. This is them at 60%, and I want 110%. "Givin' Up" - Back in the saddle again. Here we're treated to a some Thin Lizzy guitars in this happy go lucky tribute to heroin. Given Hawkins's very public relationship to addiction, it's a bit darker now in retrospect. This is no "There She Goes" when it comes to heroin songs. Hell, it's barely "Mr. Brownstone" but it's ok. "Stuck in a Rut" - Fine as well, but the title is a little on the nose at this point in the album. Maybe as sonically silly as the band gets with the "Friday Night" - A return to the power pop mode is welcome as it brings along the hooks and vocal melodies that the band is so good at. It's no "Friday I'm in Love" but's still pretty great. "Love on the Rocks with No Ice" - The most modern sounding song on here. If by modern you mean circa 1987. The harder, crunchier guitars make this stand out a bit, but it's definitely them in hair metal mode. "Holding My Own" - And we finish things out still in full 80s hair metal ballad gear. I even picture the "Home Sweet Home"-esque music video cobbled together from concert tour footage. I'll take this any day of the week over anything from Warrant or Whitesnake though. HIGHLIGHTS - "Black Shuck" - "Get Your Hands off My Woman" - "Growing on Me" - "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" - "Friday Night" MIDLIGHTS - "Love Is Only a Feeling" - "Givin' Up" - "Stuck in a Rut" - "Love on the Rocks with No Ice" - "Holding My Own" LOWLIGHTS FINAL THOUGHTS Hawkins's voice is going to be very hit or miss for a lot of people. Factor in the nod and wink towards rock's most overblown and easily parodied elements and the band is working at a disadvantage here. Even more I think when they first came out. I think at the time, this sort of music was still on the backburner of coming around for a revival. And when it did, there were several bands that leaned WAY too hard into the comedy elements ( Steel Panther anyone?). The Darkness ride the edge just fine for me, and they take the music itself very seriously. The craft and love put into this is self evident and I can't see a world in which the band saw this as any sort of a piss take. They were self aware to be sure but no one loads up that many hooks and memorable melodies into something that was just throwaway. Sometimes its ok to turn your brain off and just enjoy the ride. This is mostly empty calories, but that has its place. And "fun" albums are even better when there's just a little extra thought and care thrown in, which this has in spades. PLAYLIST ALTERATIONS FURTHER LISTENING - - Powerage by AC/DC - Pump by Aerosmith - Queen by Queen - Queen II by Queen - Kimono My House by Sparks
“And then all my bands, Skid Row and all of them, were gone. And it was just these sad guys singing about being under a bridge and not being happy. And I’m like, ‘What happened to nothing but a good time and ignoring all your problems with cocaine, right?’ Like, that was all over.” _ Comedian Bill Burr lamenting the death of hair metal and ascendancy of grunge during a story about Eddie Vedder. On March 25, 2003 Linkin Park released their second album, "Meteora." I loved Meteora, and would listen to it constantly. As a consequence, most everything that came out in 2003 got lost in the shadow of Meteora. This album came out, "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" charted on the US Rock Charts for a moment, and I missed all of it while I was living through it. I was still listening to the last embers of Nü-metal, bits of post-grunge alternative rock, and Eminem. Metallica put out St. Anger in 2003 and I barely touched it even though they were ostensibly my favorite band . I'm sure I changed the station the moment I heard any of The Darkness. As I was cloistered away with my sad guy music, it seems like I was missing a party. This cheesy performative glam act was enthusiastically attempting to either revive sleaze rock or revel in an abandoned space no one was occupying at the time. You can throw a hell of a party when no one is around. So now, here I am in 2026 wishing I could enjoy a party like this while being in my early 20s again. I miss being young, you know. The Darkness are here to rock and wail with the vocals of a party banshee. They do both with much aplomb. "Get Your Hands Off My Woman" was a fun mess. "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" is a hoot. "Love on the Rocks with No Ice" is a picture of that falling down drunk part of the night. And like any good sleazy night, were going to end "Makin' Out." This isn't a sustainable lifestyle for every night, but the stories will be epic. 3/5
Enjoyably silly - slightly over stays its welcome - but good memories of seeing them at Reading.
They've had 7 albums? They were the novelty all over the radio in the early 00s, some how they've lasted? I guess the album is a bit of fun - rock equivalent of bubblegum pop. Novel and fresh at the time, but very disposable.
I know it’s essentially a parody, but this is the best hair metal record of all time. Culturally, the zeitgeist was obsessed with ‘memberberries. This is the perfect expression of that music revival era. Genuinely, pitch perfect.
It’s a fun time! The lead singer’s voice is the best part because of how whimsical he is. I enjoyed it enough but it’s a lot of nonstop energy. We know there is one standout classic on here though. Top Songs: Growing on Me, I Believe in a Thing Called Love
I've just heard the songs too many times, I don't think there's enough depth. It's glam rock without reinvention.
Like he got kicked in the nuts every other verse.
i feel like this album aged poorly, not in any sense other than it was sort of gimmicky even when it came out, and that the shtick sort of wore out. despite that, it does have a several bangers ("Friday Night", "Growing on Me") that keep it at a 3 for me.
It's not my music but it's good.
Fun! Not something I could listen to all day but I really liked it on my way home from a long day of work
Great rock album, his falsetto has always been something I find a bit difficult listen to but I have got used to it over time.
I’m probably biased on this one but it’s a great album. Loads of fun, catchy songs. They’re still fantastic live.
No me gusto, not the kind of rock i like. nada me es pesado no lo puedo soportar mucho
Yooo this is sick! Black shuck was such a fun opener to this album. It was a great listen, had some good lyrics but also didn’t take itself too seriously. Get your hands off of my woman just made me laugh. Growing on me was also quite fun, and I believe in a thing called love was actually quite sweet. The guitar solo in love is only a feeling, so great. Givin up was great, and stuck in a rut had some great moments. Friday night was so carefree. The verses of love on the rocks with no ice were great. The shrieking does get slightly old, but I’m enjoying the rest of it. Holding my own was a nice but bit unexpected ballad! Makin out was an alright closer! Overall it was slightly cheesy but I loved it. 4/5 ⭐️ 122/1089
Wow that was fun. Possibly one of the most hair metal records I’ve ever heard and to my surprise, it came out in 2003. This sounds like it was ripped straight from the 80s and honestly, it’s so unashamedly true to that era that it’s just fun the whole way through!
don't get me wrong, I like 70s rock music. when it was made in the 70s.... Back in the days this band would be just one of many. Also the singer can be quite annoying
Thought we had gone through all the Queen albums on this list.
What a bizarre inclusion! More fun than I was expecting. Can’t take it seriously though and don’t see a circumstance where I’d ever listen to it again.
meeeh
Skimmed through after the first song. I like that thing he does with his voice sometimes. That’s it.
Hell yeah!!! I bought this album with money from ym paper round when I was 13. It's got such a timeless production and the performances are all just fantastic. People remember it for I believe in a thing called love, but it's so much more than that, really growing on me is hands down the greatest song ever written about genital warts and love is only a feeling ios just such a great, epic slice of 'classic rock'. Alos, the guitars just sound phenomenal, I'd give it 6 stars if I could. I can also understand if people don't really get the fuss as I'm sure the timing of it and it's context in my musical journey has skewed my opinion
No; not a fan.
3
This was great. Yeah fun, surprisingly loving and romantic. I wrote this off when I was younger, but it was honestly good fun.
This is one of my favorite albums of all time. The Hawkins brothers dropped a dynamite debut with Ed Graham and Frankie Poullain that they have yet to equal. The songwriting is the right level of cheeky, the musicianship is on point, and Justin's vocals are something out of this world. Having been able to see them live 20 years later, they still got it and the songs still stand the test of time.
"Why am I listening to this?" But then "I Believe In A Thing Called Love" comes on and I'm like OH, this is THEM. Scratch my "how have I never heard any of this if it's so important" response! Fun enough I guess but I think I'm set on Queenlikes.
very fun
How is it that many popular and influential bands in this lane are not on the Dimery list and yet this 2003 revival album is here. If cliché, campy, tongue-in-cheek metal is something that is needed to be heard before we die, where is Spinal Tap?
Fun! 4.5
So ridiculous. Love it.
Hard rock, glam rock.
Fun I guess
There are some fun absurd songs on this album, but the only song anyone needs to listen to is I believe in a thing called love. Nothing else on the album really compares
Permission to Land is fucking chaos in the best way possible. They are very much a deranged glam rock version of ACDC. It's fun, often shallow, stupid, and overindulgent, but fun, and you can tell the band loved doing this and that's huge. Guitars are blazing, drums chugging, vocals screeching, everything's firing on all cylinders. The melodies are a really strong point on the album, and the songs are just catchy and to the point. Hawkins's voice is somewhat annoying to listen to for the entire album, but that's kind of the only downside here for me. Even then it's not bad, c'mon. He's got a vibe and he goes with it. Standout tracks were "Growing on Me," "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" - duh - and "Givin' Up" Goddammit I think it's gotta be a 5 for me. I'd like to see anyone else having as much fun as these guys in this day and age. Great debut album that I'd listen to all the way through again happily.
Caterwauling. I thought System of the Down had terrible vocals. This was worse.
I’ve got really fond memories of this album, but even when it came out I felt like half the songs were filler. This album is carried by one amazing track and maybe two okay tracks. I found the entire thing really hard to get through.
Bought this album in High School and saw them on the American tour. They ruled. It leans into the camp of the 80s rock but they had the chops and a few rock hits. It ain’t perfect and man Justin could get cheeky on the verge of cheesy. But it wasn’t supposed to be a serious brooding album. Sometimes rock is for fun and drinking beer on a Friday night.
This rocks the boat with confidence and swagger. It's pure glam, British sunshine in every track. Rock 'n roll storytelling at its finest. It's funny, filthy, and full of heart.. all attitude, catchy riffs, and emotional depth. Spins: 3 Playlist Additions - Get Your Hands off My Woman - Growing on Me - I Believe in a Thing Called Love - Love Is Only a Feeling - Givin' Up - Friday Night
Es una pavada este disco. Esta rama del rock onda Kiss, onda Bon Jovi, me parece la más verga de todas.
I got really excited when this album came up. For two main reasons, the first being I’ve been a big fan of this band since my dad showed them to me. And secondly, this seems like a very unlikely album to be on the list, it almost felt like a personal win the fact that this album is included on this list. It almost felt like somebody added this album just for me. But joking aside, this album contains one of the single greatest songs ever written…I Believe In A Thing Called Love. It’s a very genuine and enthusiastic tribute to hair metal. It probably sounds silly saying it’s a direct tribute, which it’s not stated anywhere that I’ve seen that it is, but as someone who grew up with a day who unapologetically loves hair/glam metal, I can tell you that it’s a fitting and endearing tribute. Seriously if you have never seen the music video for it I implore you to, it’s one of my all time favorite videos. It’s so silly and over the top, it just fills me with joy. The only problem with this album is that it’s not one song long. Because everything on the album (and frankly the rest of music as a whole) can’t live up to the magic that is IBIATCL. They do continue with the same energy and tone throughout the album, but it all just sits in the massive shadow of the hit song. Honestly it’s not a bad album, but it’s greatest strength is also the greatest flaw, cause nothing can reach that bar that is set so impossibly high.
fast rock, movable rhythms. had this on repeat in the 2010s
Ambitious, but not my thing. Also kind of weirdly 70s derivative?
About half the songs are right for me, and the other half, the music was meh and the vocals were irritatng. Still, there's talent there. 3/5
liked it more than I expected
Why is this one hit wonder album here? I believe in a thing called love is pretty great, but the rest was really not up to snuff. 2
What a throwback! I'd never actually listened to whole album but I knew I was in for a good one! Justin has one hell of a voice, incredibly talented. Really good songs too and a massive part of my childhood 5 ⭐️
3.5
3.5
2.5
Honestly I think I could learn to love this album if it wasn't for his damn yelping (5.35) ★★½
His voice is too theatrical, but this album still have some bangers. Low 3.5 stars
The Darkness is kind of a weird band because I often can't tell if they're serious or not. They sort of straddle the line between jokey throwback 80s hard rock band and trying to write good songs. It's better than I assumed it would be, but I don't know that the shtick really works for more than a few tracks. "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" is fun, and "Friday Night" was good. 3 stars.
Permission granted. They went crap very quickly afterwards but for one pretty great debut album and glorious Christmas single they were hot-to-trot stuff flying the freak flag for 100% pure uncut classic rock in 2003 amongst a bilge backdrop of Beyoncé and Black Eyed Peas. They manage to do a thing of ridiculously sending up the genre whilst also being authentically awesome and landing at a few timeless songs and videos along the way (I Believe In A Thing Called Love, Love Is Only A Feeling).
Can't imagine I will be exploring this band further but it's so camp I kind of love it. "Love on the rocks with no ice" sounds like something by Tenacious D. If the singer wasn't screeching so much I might actually like the music
Too much of the same. A party trick, over and over. Yet pretty good songs.