Rockfreaks.net

The Darkness

Last Of Our Kind

Written by: PP on 16/07/2015 21:43:57

Remember when The Darkness were proclaimed to be the saviours of rock'n'roll? Yeah, that was around the time "I Believe In A Thing Called Love" was released, a ridiculous cheese-rock song that seemed to bring hard rock back from the dead for many people thanks to the outrageous, classic rock star-like behaviour of eccentric vocalist Justin Hawkins. The British hype media went bollocks and all of a sudden everyone was at least acquainted with his squeaky high voice that could be comparable to Muse's Matthew Bellamy if it wasn't so cheesy and purposefully over-the-top. Much has happened over the years, including some rehab and hiatus time for The Darkness, which meant 2012's "Hot Cakes" was only their third album since formation in 2000.

Last month, they released "Last Of Our Kind", an album that's really no different from their previous material, which on paper should deem the record pretty much irrelevant in 2015. Yet somehow Hawkins & co have yet again managed to put together an enjoyable set of infectiously catchy hard rock songs that are played with the kind of conviction that only exists if you believe the 80s never actually ended. The quintessential hard rock track "Open Fire" sounds massive, and"Last Of Our Kind" has an irresistibly catchy chorus that should convince even the most hardened hard rock denier out there. Even the balladic "Wheels Of The Machine" is expansive enough its soundscape to work nicely, and the ultra cheesy keyboard intro to "Mighty Wings" that goes straight into a heavy metal riff simply works. "Mudslide" is a fun-driven rock'n'roll song that has its heart and soul in the origins of the genre, topped of course by Hawkins' over-the-top delivery for good measure. And if you're into guitar soloing in the vein of the 80s legends, "Sarah O' Sarah" is a good place to start.

While the relevancy of hard rock as a genre overall can be discussed (newsflash: hasn't been relevant in at least two decades now), The Darkness play the genre with a fresh twist that makes them not sound a) generic and b) boring like most of their actually serious counterparts. The tongue-in-cheek vibe is omnipresent much like on Steel Panther records, which means they stick out like a sore thumb from the crowd. That's good because it means "Last Of Our Kind" isn't a bad record. But the reality is that it needs far more catchy songs like "Last Of Our Kind" and "Open Fire" to avoid lacking in longevity.

Download: Open Fire, Last Of Our Kind, Mudslide
For the fans of: Guns 'N Roses, The Cult, Queen, Steel Panther, Def Leppard
Listen: Facebook

Release date 01.06.2015
Kobalt Label Services