The Darkness - One Way Ticket to Hell and Back

Royale with Cheese

So I've gotten my hands on the new Darkness album and after not expecting much from it, that's what I got.

Track 1 - One Way Ticket

So everyone's heard this, I had a go at it in the Rock/Metal forum. I don't think it's quite as bad as I first thought, just as a first single it's distinctly mediocre. The album version is preceded by a bizarre panpipe intro, followed by what I presume to be the sound of somebody snorting coke. Don't know what the purpose of that bit is. This track will slightly grow on you, but not too much.

Track 2 - Knockers

Tongue in cheek, 'I want sex' type song. Very good imo. What you expect from a good Darkness song. Upbeat and piercing falseto singing in the chorus. Good stuff.

Track 3 - Is it just me?

Riff used with a chord pattern that leads into a distinctly 80's rock sounding chorus. Alright song, will grow on you.

Track 4 - Dinner Lady

Nice song, something slightly (now I mean slightly) different from the band. Reminds me of something but I can't put my finger on it. You might want to not think of the lyrics to much to enjoy this. 'Put your arms around me, your dinner lady arms. I couldn't figure out where your figure had gone, I thought that I could live without you but I was so wrong.'

Track 5 - Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time

Slowish ballad type song with heavy synthesized strings overdub. Will also grow on you after time. I feel some people may really like this and some may hate it. I think it's good.

Track 6 - Hazel Eyes

Odd song which involves a bagpipe and is a sort of tribute to old Scottish songs (if that makes any sense). I absolutely love this song. I fear many people will overlook it as it sounds slightly odd and has the bagpipe (not a solo or anything, kind of hard to hear sometimes) and will just write Justin Hawkins off as being an arrogant tosser for putting a bagpipe on the album. I really hope they release this one.

Track 7 - Bald

Very cheesy, very 80's AC/DC rock song (more so than ever before). Intro is slightly reminicent of Hells Bells. If you get over that fact it's an alright song. The most hard rocking on the album.

Track 8 - Girlfriend

This is where the album really starts to come off the rails. A distinctly average song absolutely destroyed by synthesized strings overdubs and a brass section. Fairly rubbish.

Track 9 - English Country Garden

This song is just lacking in one thing, being good. Just a very average song that would be more suited as a b-side.

Track 10 - Blind Man

Slow song with strings, brass section and 4 part harmonys (even more Queen sounding than before). Really doesn't do it for me.

So basically tracks 1-7 are good without being great, and 8-10 are fairly rubbish. Having said that the first 7 tracks are lacking something I can't quite put my finger on. They're not as hard rocking as the first album and when played back to back with Permission to Land it's certainly evident that something is lacking. Couple that with the last 3 songs being crap on an album that only has 10 tracks and it's not a great result. Fans may like this, some may not. I cannot see the average Joe loving this album. It's more cheesy, 80's sounding and falseto singing laden than the last album.

6/10... maybe 5.5/10 if I'm in a bad mood.

merlinsmerryman

Just picked up this weeks Kerrang and they give it a 5 out of 5 rating and called it the "greatest British RockNRoll album in the last 20 years"

I'm not sure what to say, so I won't say anything.

Royale with Cheese

Seriously I was a huge Darkness fan first time around but this is no greatest british rocknroll album. I'll admit it's grown on me alot since I wrote that review but i'm afraid to upgrade the rating because I'm a fan and I want to be impartial. The album has many weaknesses and I think many people will rate it lower than I have.

Edit:

The entire album is now streaming on The Darkness's myspace
http://www.myspace.com/TheDarkness

JC 2K3

merlinsmerryman wrote:

Just picked up this weeks Kerrang and they give it a 5 out of 5 rating and called it the "greatest British RockNRoll album in the last 20 years"

I'm not sure what to say, so I won't say anything.

lol, ya gotta love blatant corruption, wonder how much they got payed to give it a good review?

Santa Claus

Is it just me or do the darkness just seem like a new Spinal tap ?
I mean knockers seems like Big Bottom, is there a Flower people track on there too ??

gm1984

This post has been deleted.

Atrocity

It's a pretty good album, nowhere near the first one but I like it.

MisterAnarchy

Very good album in my opinion.
Up there with permission to Land.
Some nice slow ones on the new album.

Woof!

i got it today... its kinda pants in all fairness an i was quite a big fan b4hand. and another thing ONE WAY TICKET to hell and"back"??? wtf? i mean does a one way ticket not mean that you wont be coming back?? as in you're going one way

Crucifix

Woof! wrote:

...and another thing ONE WAY TICKET to hell and"back"??? wtf? i mean does a one way ticket not mean that you wont be coming back?? as in you're going one way

I think that was supposed to be a joke...

getyourENDAway

To be fair to the Darkness they have recieved alot on undeserved critisism over the past couple of years. There new album is quite good for what it is a simple pop-Rock record. If you just listen to how catchy there hooks are its plain to see how they have sold so many records not only here but in the states which as we all know only few British acts have done.

I cant stand people critisise a certan genre of music because if it makes people happy it has done its job. I can see this new album doing well for them but not as well as the first.

Overall thumbs up from me!!!!!!!:)

xXxnaoisexXx

i tink dis is a gud song!!!!nd im nt reli a fan !!:)

meldrew

Its not a bad album , more of the same so you know what you're getting , but it must be the years shortest album

Rcuomo

i think the whole coke snorting sounds before one way ticket is referring to the fact that they were nearly ruined as a band from doing too much coke, hence one way ticket to hell...and back....the 2nd part referring to the fact that they came back from the brink i guess

this album is a real grower, thought it was crap at first, but good now, not as good as the first one though...

i really like the song hazel eyes, aswell as the scottish vibe, i get a big oriental feel from it too, and the solo is great.

Royale with Cheese

Rcuomo wrote:

i think the whole coke snorting sounds before one way ticket is referring to the fact that they were nearly ruined as a band from doing too much coke, hence one way ticket to hell...and back....the 2nd part referring to the fact that they came back from the brink i guess

this album is a real grower, thought it was crap at first, but good now, not as good as the first one though...

i really like the song hazel eyes, aswell as the scottish vibe, i get a big oriental feel from it too, and the solo is great.

Yeah it's grown on me alot too. I wrote the review after about 3 listens. Unfortunately I edited the original post so much it won't let me edit anymore.

were they on coke?

turbot

Hey Guys,

I really liked a lot of the original album, so when the second one came out, I bought it on the first opportunity I had.

If I had a complaint, it would be that the album is too short.

Other than that, it rocks! It's really quite different and arguably more music than the first, with loads of Euphoric riffs and queen like harmonies. The whole album as well as being really good fun, has a flow to it that has been playing in my head and getting me on a buzz.

Some of the lyrics are really clever and funny and just like the first album, for me at least, don't detract from the musical enjoyment:

"I might not always have so much hair... but what you saw in me will hopefully always be there..."

I think it's pretty great; it has lots of queen style riffs and harmonies, which are done brilliantly. BTW, on first listening, I wasn't immediately blown away, but having played it 20+ times since, now I think it's great and it's had me dancing to myself while running around my apartment.

TRUEBLUE22

big fan of the darkness,i'll admit they can be hit and miss but undoubtedly the best thing to come out of that genre in years. Just one thing though: one way ticket to hell and back? Eh, is that not a return ticket then???

blastman

Got it the other day, still early days, but the trademark hoooks are definitely there. It is, however, ridiculously short.

elvis2002

terrible album. I played through it once and I couldn't remember anything from it. Truly awful. Kerrang are a total joke for giving this 5/5. I don't what cd they had on. This album is very bad, the songs are ridiculous lyrical. One way ticket is the best song on the album which shows how bad it is. Its an okay song but nothing special. They've followed the path of many acts before them with this crap. i.e. great first album followed by a boring medicore 2nd.

Atrocity

it deserves more than one play!

egon spengler

meh, its fairly average and missing some magic ingredient that made the first one so great (blew me away in 2003, just one hit after the next, incredible). Apart from hazel eyes which is the best song on the album despite some flaws (being dis-organized and somehow insubstantial for this) the songs are mediocre although some are appealing such as tracks 2 and 3 in addition with flashes of brilliance in the others. The production is excellent ill give it that. I think unless they dont want to sink with their next album they are going to have discard with the spinal tap image (funny at the start, nows it old) and write some actually good songs. They have the talent, that much is evident on permission to land.

anyone going to their concert in the point?