The Darkness were something of a Marmite band: you either love 'em or hate 'em. People that leant more towards the 'hate them' side were usually because they couldn't stand Justin Hawkins' ear-splitting castrato and questionable dress-sense. Thus, I present to you the Stone Gods, made up of the remaining Darkness members following Justin's departure, and they are everything that you would expect 3/4 of the Darkness to sound like.
Bassist Richie Edwards has moved centre stage and taken on as the vocalist, and he is everything that Justin wasn't. His voice is deeper and raspier, think Rod Stewart during his rockier moments. Edwards knows how to summarise his feeling in a few short words, for example in lead single Knight of the Living Dead he succinctly expresses his feeling towards a lady friend: 'Fuck! You! You Liaaar!'
The Stone Gods style is a throwback to late-70s hard rock and though perhaps somewhat out of fashion it is refreshing to hear a band strip back the sound and belt out some land-fill indie obliterating riffage. There ain't no pussy shit here - the Stone Gods know how to rock like only the British know.
SSABB is at its best when the riffs and solos are flying, but the band pulls off the quieter moments with aplomb too. Magdalen Street is a predominantly accoustic strummy song about a prostitute with a heart of gold and is suited far better by Edwards' gravelly rough sounding voice.
Anyone dissapointed by the break up of the Darkness or simply looking for an alternative to the boring indie clogging the airwaves need look no further
4.5/5
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