CD REVIEW! The Darkness - Wind-Up

Arena rock is back with a bang! The Darkness has reunited — and it feels so good. These British kings of bombast (who will be supporting Lady Gaga on her South African tour!) return with their first album, Wind-Up, since 2005. And yes, we have missed Justin Hawkins screeching screamer of a high voice. After seven years off, they release their third CD Hot Cakes. Justin Hawkins cheekily tells his back story: surviving on the dole till Led Zep changed his life, becoming "an Englishman with a very high voice, doing rock & roll." Hot Cakes stays amusing, mixing beer-barrel chuggers with proud schlock ballads. Sneakiest trick: going full-on metal... with a Radiohead cover. As one reviews noted: "Hot Cakes just exudes fun. It seems to wipe away a period of discord during which the band broke up and its members started other projects. You can almost see the lanky rockers jumping around, causing havoc on stage."