CD REVIEW: LAST OF OUR KIND by The Darkness

LAST OF OUR KIND by The Darkness
(Canary Dwarf Limited )

After much anticipation, they've done it again! After a lengthy lay-off and side projects the lads from Lowestoft, The Darkness are back with a vengeance and sounding better than ever with their fourth studio release, 'Last Of Our Kind'. The song writing and production is simply over-the-top and luscious, and their musicianship and concentration seem more focused than their previous releases. Justin Hawkins – lead vocals, lead & rhythm guitars, keyboards, Dan Hawkins – lead & rhythm guitars, vocals, Frankie Poullain – bass, vocals and new drummer Emily Dolan Davies. 'Last Of Our Kind' consists of a mixture of hard rock, some quite amusing lyrics in places, and the classic Darkness sound. All of the songs are catchy and are brilliantly laid out. Every track on 'Last of Our Kind' is a winner. The guitar hooks are amazing, and the melodies lodge themselves in your head instantly. You can pretty much pick any of the songs off this album at random and find an absolutely killer single-worthy rocker, "Barbarian", "Open Fire", with it's Cult-tish charge,  the title track , "Roaring Waters" are particularly convincing. Other favorites are the laid back mover "Wheels Of The Machine" and Thin Lizzy meets Queen diddy, "Sarah, O’Sarah". No filler tracks ladies and gents, not one.  This is one of those releases where the band gets everything right. The Darkness have always had a great melodic rock sound, but here they just nail the perfect combination of Glam and hard-hitting hard rock. If you long for the the good old days of the 70's classic rock sound when rock music reigned supreme, with the likes of Queen, T-Rex, Slade, Thin Lizzy etc. then this recording is just what the doctor ordered. 'Last Of Our Kind' is a must-have melodic rock album any way you look at it, and is easily the band's best since their debut, 'Permission To Land'. - Highly Recommended
Tony @ The Dedicated Rocker Society/ All Access Magazine