The Darkness know who they are and thank goodness for that... don't change it for any reason!

"You don't have to be old to be wise", Judas Priest told us and The Darkness are prime examples. It was all too much too soon; their second album was received with limp handshakes and the band imploded, but they then returned with new members and increasingly excellent music which slowly re-established audience trust. That Justin Hawkins strop at not being chosen for the UK Eurovision Song Contest entry seems a long time ago and this group are now taking a step back before diving in. They like to cause a bit of attention with their titles ('Hot Cakes' is still a favourite) and their new release is no different – 'Easter Is Cancelled' indeed, but don't they know it's second only to Christmas for recruitment possibilities?

The Darkness throw us a curveball to start with some Freddie Mercury vocalising and the early Magnum-like music of 'Rock And Roll Deserves To Die' before it explodes into a nice, simple Rock number. Oh yes... 'How Can I Lose Your Love' is achingly-eighties, AOR-touched excellence with a Glam guitar solo, whereas the title-track sounds like 'Tie Your Mother Down' where you'll obviously hear the dramatic "Hawkins Falsetto" and whizzing synths, and there's even a lyric that appears to say "rise of the assclowns"... Speaking of being a little outrageous, after all this is The Darkness, the cover seems to be a take on the crucifixion scene, and will no doubt bring tuts, plenty of indignant "how dare you" comments and many second looks.

Of course, stuff like 'Deck Chair' is all very Mercury-blessed where they go down the route of an over-important delivery and 10CC-like harmonies for what is effectively a simple piece of fluff, and they even make a bile-filled ex-lover song called 'Choke On It' sound fun. 'Heavy Metal Lover' is a pastiche that's alternately whimsical and machine-gun drummed, and yet they never forget a breezy chorus. This band can turn up the fun but never turn into Black Lace.

The Darkness are getting better all the time and this even eclipses their last album 'Pinewood Smile'. It's simple and catchy with some wonderful drama and a wink as we get to the end of the pier; The Darkness know who they are and thank goodness for that... don't change it for any reason!

Steve Swift