Permission to Land

This feels very AC/DC to me. Not bad at all, but nothing super original or new here at all, so I don't really see what's the point of having this album on this list. Probably 3 stars, it's alright, enjoyable listen indeed.

What a pleasant surprise! I wasn't really expecting to find The Darkness here, but I'm really glad I did and happy that it gave me a reason to listen to “Permission To Land” again after so long. When I first heard about The Darkness in 2003, I wasn't sure if it was a parody—their appearance was so at odds with the zeitgeist at the time. I also remember them being described as the gay AC/DC or the straight Queen. What they present on their debut album is all three of those things and much more: a mature production of songs reminiscent of AC/DC, Queen, and similar bands, but with a modern sound (the equipment of the aforementioned bands was already outdated in the 1980s) and a self-deprecating coolness that I still admire today. My only criticism is that The Darkness' later releases never quite reached the level of “Permission To Land.”

Novelty 3 for a fun novelty

Ugh...

I dig that these are a bunch of guys who grew up listening to hair metal / glam rock and said “fuck it, I want to do that”, then they actually went and did it!

It’s admittedly not my preferred genre at all, but there’s tons of passion and enthusiasm in this album and it’s undeniably fun. That said, holy hell I cannot stand his singing. It’s like nails on a chalkboard after a couple songs. By the end of the album, the novelty had worn off, so I just wanted it to end.

Better than I remembered!

Had way too much fun with this one. Still never gonna look for this genre on purpose. Low 4

This album is just goofy fun. From the album cover that looks like a classic B-movie poster, to the other the top solo's and vocal delivery. The layer of irony and fun that this album brings makes it a lot more interesting than the sources it's derived from. I would rather listen to this over Queen or any number of poorly aged Hair Metal bands. I Believe In A Thing Called Love is a great song and a bunch of the others here work well as standalone singles too.

„Permission to Land“ ist ein energiegeladenes Debütalbum, das sich mit voller Wucht in die Welt des Glam-Rock und klassischen Hardrock stürzt. Die Band zitiert unüberhörbar Größen wie AC/DC, Def Leppard und Aerosmith A, und liefert eine wilde Mischung aus eingängigen Riffs, überdrehten Gitarrensoli und Justin Hawkins’ markantem Falsettgesang – der allerdings zu wild sind.

Die Songs wie „I Believe in a Thing Called Love“ und „Growing on Me“ sind zweifellos Ohrwürmer, doch die übertriebene Theatralik und der bewusst schrille Humor machen das Album stellenweise schwer verdaulich. Es wirkt manchmal eher wie eine Parodie auf das Genre als eine ernsthafte Hommage B.

There's nothing remarkable about this album, and Hawkins' falsetto is just painful to listen to.

Well this was a fun listen. Pure energy from start to finish. Back when this first came out I didn't really take The Darkness seriously as they seemed kind of like a joke band. Turns out I was the joke, because these guys are fantastic! There's definitely a good amount of cheese in the music, but the vibe is really just one of absolute fun.

Hold on. The Darkness were a real band?! 🤪

Of course it's daft, cliché and silly, but you can tell they had good fun with it! 2.5

Kind of a fun rock album. Vocals were sometimes annoying, but also fit fairly well. Kind of reminds me of Franz Feredinand or The Killers in a way, but a bit more frantic. 3/5

It's crazy just how much better their hit is than the rest of the album. A few others are not bad but overall it's just fine. Maybe this should actually be 2 stars idk.

Kinda just wish they wrote songs for AC/DC and not these overly jokey pantomimes. There's some stuff which is as good in its mechanics as any of the greats but it's through so many layers of irony it can be difficult to stomach

this needs some context. there was absolutely nothing like it when it came out. it was such a refreshing breath of fresh air back then, having a band sound completely different and just having fun.

the rumor back then was that the band overheard the future lead singer in a karaoke bar and said - we gotta make an album with this dude.

I think that falsetto voice worked for like one song and ruined the rest. The music was pretty good though

I might believe in a thing called love, but I also believe in a thing called one hit wonders.

Solid rock album. I believe in a thing called love is a classic

Incredibly derivative - sounds like an 80s hair metal band, with a cheesy lead singer. The band itself plays well and generally rocks, but I really dislike the singer's voice. Rightly removed from the 1001. Songs I almost liked: Love is Only a Feeling, Love on the Rocks with no Ice. Moving on.