Upon its U.K. release in summer 2003, Permission To Land, the debut album from spandex-clad retro metalheads The Darkness, was a surprise success, hitting the British charts at number two (behind only Beyoncé's Dangerously In Love). After hearing Permission To Land, it's easier to understand why the British public went crazy for it, and for The Darkness. The album is more or less straightforward pop/rock with some '80s metal window-dressing, and The Darkness themselves live up to traditional notions of what a rock band should be: louche, decadent, and harboring a don't-bore-us-get-to-the-chorus mentality. Read More