Music Review: The Darkness - Hot Cakes

The hot cakes record has grown on me a bit.  At first i really was only into the "nothings gonna stop us" single but I find more and more on the record that is good. I really find myself enjoying the guitar tones as there are a number of tone you haven't heard well represented since the seventies and eighties.  I find a large number of metal guitar tone sounding the same and this seems like they took efforts to get older tone going, sort of like guitar archaeologists.

The record is good if a bit jumpy, which i guess is consistent with the rest of The Darkness records.  You hear some stuff like Keep me hangin on and with a woman that seem less influenced by hard rock and an more Brit rock which is new.  I find myself gravitating to the harder tracks.

Every Inch of you sort of fits its video, sort of strut and strip.  I don't know this is not my favorite on the record.  It does keep the rock sound going which is good.

Nothin's Gonna Stop Us is the first single so I guess its the one people will know.  I like the Hawk the slayer quote and video, feels nice and dungeons and dragonsly lame.  It's funny how lyrically American this one comes off.

Living Each day blind is sort of a nice lets get out of here song.  It's almost a bit of a ballad but not quit.  Good song one of the ones I find myself listening to again and again.

Everybody have a good time is funny as it starts with a riff almost reminiscent of Heaven and Hell and goes out like Nazareth's Holiday.  I like the song its fun and again you almost get an idea if the dungeons and dragons is your idea of having a good time that The Darkness have the books set up at the kitchen table for you.

Street Spirit is a rocker.  This along with the Stone Gods record show that The Darkness could flirt more with metal.  It has great punctuating metal shouts.  Great for a radio song to be turned so aggressive.

All and all a good record.  It is less slick and manicured their their previous outing, but good.  There are a lot of riffs and tones that hint at older rock and glam metal acts.  Everybody have a good time has hints of Sweet.  There are bits of LA Glam metal here and there in the riffs.