One Way Ticket To Hell ... And Back [CD]

One Way Ticket... To Hell And Back features 10 tracks in total - most are quite short; it's rare for a song on the album to last even as long as 4 minutes. So be warned, this is a very short album indeed - only 35 minutes 10 seconds long to be exact.

Most of the songs are good but the last two tracks prove to be somewhat of an anti-climax. In these final tracks The Darkness sound nothing more than a Queen tribute band and I'm not all that keen on it. The rest of the album is full of fantastic riffs, wailing vocals and also some guitar solos for good measure. Pan pipes, pianos and a string arrangement also feature but guitars are at the forefront of the album.

I'd also like to make it known that in Hazel Eyes (track 6), The Darkness have produced probably the most infectious chorus of the year - I just can't get it out of my head!

To sum up, this is an impressive album that has been very well produced but is marred only by the final two tracks being rather weak and the fact that it is so short. It's not a joke album either - the lyrics might not be all that serious but a majority of the songs are of high quality and some thought has obviously been put into creating them. If you liked the first album and haven't been put off by the bands much publicised egos then this comes highly recommended.

One Way Ticket: 8/10. Good opening track. Doesn't do anything special as a result, but it's catchy, upbeat and radio-friendly.
Knockers: 9/10. More like it. Justin's got his swagger going now, and there's a nice strong chorus too. A bit short, mind.
Is It Just Me?: 9/10. This is as close The Darkness get to their 'Permission To Land' roots (not that I'm suggesting that they're better off that way!). Good old fashioned high-octane rock, and definitely a grower.
Dinner Lady Arms: 7/10. Good, but not great. Feels like a break in pace too early in the album. Still fits well with the album's theme, though.
Seemed Like A Good Idea: 10/10. 'Love Is Only A Feeling''s older, sexier sister. Beautiful, powerful and with brilliant lyrics. Possible single.
Hazel Eyes: 10/10. PERFECT. No, really. You just can't help but love this euphoric, epic powerhouse of a tune that hits you every time.
Bald: 10/10. PERFECT. Again. Moody, sneering, rifftastic and massive. Demands to be heard.
Gilfriend: 8/10. Seems to suffer from having to follow-up 'Bald', but the strings work nicely, and the chorus will stubbornly remain in your head for a long time.
English Country Garden: 10/10. This is grower (excuse the pun), and just seems to sound better and better the more you hear it. Crazy, mad and quick.
Blind Man: 8/10. A wierd one this. I wouldn't listen to this on it's own, but it's certainly a fitting end to the album, and whilst sounding serious, it has the classic Darkness tongue-in-cheek humour.

Overall, I think that it's a tribute to the Darkness that they've not only survived the notorious 'second album' period, they've turned it round, pulled down it's trousers and laughed riotously at it. It's not a clone of 'Permission To Land', and it has it's own sound whilst not being too off-centre. Yet again, at 10 tracks long and 35 minutes total, you're left gagging for more, though I suppose I'd prefer a handful of sublime tracks as opposed to an armful of mediocre ones.

Well, if the Darkness churn this kind of stuff out after being physically and mentally exhausted, imagine what the they can do after a rest...

Bring on the third album!