Tribute To The Darkness CD - Import

The U.K. edition of Tribute to the Darkness is identical to its stateside counterpart. It consists of mildly amusing, to satisfactorily metal, to just plain ugly cover versions of the Darkness catalog, padded with tracks from the band's influences. There's a lukewarm live version of "Cum on Feel the Noize" by Quiet Riot, for example. Fans can save the grief with a purchase of the Darkness' actual album, Permission to Land, as well as a few greatest-hits sets from their forebears (Judas Priest, Queen, etc.). ~ Johnny Loftus

Tributized's Tribute to the Darkness proves that imitation isn't always the sincerest (or at least, best) form of flattery: This collection of no-name bands performing lackluster renditions of the songs from Permission to Land makes tracks like "Givin' Up" and "Get Your Hands Off My Woman" sound like the dull, conventional cock rock and hair metal that the Darkness was the antidote to in the first place. New York No Stars and Blockk 16 take the aforementioned songs in different, but not better directions; meanwhile, U.K. Rock Brigade turns in weak facsimiles of "Love Is Only a Feeling," "Friday Night" and "Stuck in a Rut." Even though the band more or less approximates the sound of the Darkness, the lack of charisma in their playing and in their Justin Hawkins-wannabe singer's voice leaves a gaping hole in their sound. On their cover of "Growing on Me," Pure 13 manages to sound both somewhat decent and somewhat different from the Darkness, but that's not a huge accomplishment, considering their competition. Tribute to the Darkness also includes songs by some of the bands that influenced the Darkness' glam metal-pop sound, including Quiet Riot's "Cum on Feel the Noize" and Steve Grimmett's "The Boys Are Back in Town." Including these older tracks is the only creative moment on the album, even though mixes of Sweet's "Ballroom Blitz" and Lemmy's "Tie Your Mother Down" once again prove to be inferior to the originals. Fans of the Darkness should stick with Permission to Land and check out greatest-hits collections by the bands that appear here (not to mention Queen and Judas Priest) if they're so inclined. ~ Heather Phares

A brilliant 13 track tribute to British rock gods The Darkness. Featuring an array of young talent covering Darkness material along with five tracks of Darkness inspiration by Sweet, Quiet Riot, Ted Nugent, Great White, & more. Anagram Records. 2004.

Tributee: The Darkness.