REVIEW: The Darkness – “The Horn” (2013 single)

NEW RELEASE

THE DARKNESS – “The Horn” (iTunes single)

It was with great excitement and anticipation that I hit ‘play’ on my brand new mp3 copy of “The Horn”, a new single from The Darkness.  Like much of the preceding album Hot Cakes, this is a dirty little number about (surprise) sex!

I would like to take this opportunity, to mention the fact that while some of the acts that I may have described in this song appear to be degrading, they were in fact consensual. — Justin Hawkins

I won’t share the details, except to say that the words “my pale buttocks” are uttered.

Musically, “The Horn” is heavy as…well, not quite as heavy as lead.  Platinum perhaps?  It has a merciless guitar riff, bloodthirsty drums, and a hefty groove.  Sonically speaking, “The Horn” strikes me as one of the heaviest Darkness songs.  The guitars have some chunkiness to them, and the direction seems simple enough: let’s rock out!   With Justin’s particular brand of lead vocal, there’s no mistaking this band for anyone else.

I would like to take this opportunity to mention that fact that Justin is still singing as great as ever.  He has a knack for some utterly odd vocals, but at the same time, he makes them awesome.  Acrobatic, never too serious, but always fascinating to listen to.  By the end of this song, I’m picturing a coop full of chickens singing in harmony.

This bodes well for a new Darkness album.  Not only are they quickly out of the gates with new material, but it’s really good material.  Without a doubt, I like “The Horn” better than many of the songs on Hot Cakes.  And I liked Hot Cakes a lot.

5/5 stars

There was a vinyl 7″ single, but only 500 copies.  There’s also a new Darkness demo out there, a ballad called “Second Fiddle” .  This song boasts multiple vocalists and an uber-catchy chorus:  “We are the Hawkins Brothers / And I am Frankie Poullaine / We are the Hawkins Brothers / And this is Eddie Graham.”  Solid!

More of The Darkness at mikeladano.com:

Hot Cakes (Deluxe Edition) + “Girlfriend” (10″ shaped disc) + “Get Your Hands Off My Woman…Again” (mp3 single) + Hot Leg – Red Light Fever + The Stone Gods – Silver Spoons & Broken Bones + Record Store Tales Part 80: The Darkness

12 comments

  1. Ok. Time for the chainsaw. The Darkness are a band we will not agree on, you and me, Mike. Because I hate that band. With all my heart and soul. Loathe them. And I will admit right now that I didn’t even bother to listen to this song that you posted. I’m in a good mood, see, and I didn’t want to ruin that… ;-)
    But to be honest, it’s Justin Hawkins that I can’t stand. Without his annoying voice, to put it mildly, maybe the songs would work. I dunno because Hawkins makes it impossible for me to listen to them.

    Btw, have you heard the Stone Gods? If not, the Stone Gods are more or less The Darkness without Justin and their album was brilliant. Check it out, if you haven’t already.

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    1. https://mikeladano.com/2012/11/19/review-the-stone-gods-silver-spoons-broken-bones-2008/

      I LOVE STONE GODS! Awesome band they were…I first heard them years ago, then Dan Slessor from Kerrang Magazine sent me a copy of the album which was awesome. I had to buy my own copy. I paid a lot for it but I regret NOTHING! It was well worth the money I paid for it!

      I think Justin is the selling point of the Darkness. If you don’t like Justin (which I get) then there’s not much appeal left!

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        1. I don’t think I was sad, but I would like to hear another Stone Gods album, whether that is possible or not I don’t know. Richie Edwards is one hell of a singer.

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  2. I can see Justin being polarizing – I’m in the “the vocals are so ridiculous, they’re amazing!” camp but I’m sure they are a major deterrent for many.
    Great energy as per usual!

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    1. Same here — I do like a bit of absurdity in my daily life, and sometimes his vocals hit the spot. I would like to see this band live. I am glad they got to open for Lady Gaga and I hope they showed the fans what rock and roll is supposed to be about.

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  3. I’m not sure if they had a bad day or something, but they played Sweden Rock Festival some years ago and even though I don’t like them I thought I’d check them out anyway – maybe I would change my mind about them. Well, I didn’t. They were horrible. Untight and Justin was off key. I couldn’t cope more than four songs, then I had to leave.

    Anybody seen them live who has a different opinion? Cause I don’t know about their live abilities at all.

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