The Darkness are one of the UKs finest hard rock exports of the 21st century and it feels appropriate that their latest album pays tribute to the grand history of British rock music like Queen and T Rex. Dreams on Toast is sure to impress people based on its versatility alone but it’s in its rocking riffs and songwriting that its strengths reside. 

Dreams on Toast contains all the hallmarks of a classic British hard rock album as it wears all its influences on its sleeve. From Led Zeppelin to Queen to ELO, there’s a clear love of the whole pantheon of rock music. Justin Hawkins still has that glorious Falsetto that reaches the stratosphere and the guitar licks are just as tasty as beans on toast.

The first half of the album leans more towards the straight forward AC/DC style riffing from Dan Hawkins with tracks like Rock And Roll Party Cowboy and lead single I Hate Myself which sees Justin hit those crazy high notes we’ve all come to love him for. The record slows down a little bit for the largely acoustic storytelling of Hot on my Tail which breaks up the breakneck pace a bit and lets the Queen influence shine through.

A personal favourite is the borderline heavy metal track, Battle for Gadget Land, which feels like a mix between Styx and Judas Priest. It’s pedal to the metal driving guitar riffs and ultra heavy drumming from Rufus Tiger Taylor (one of the coolest names ever by the way) blend effortlessly with the oddball story of robots in the future or whatever the song is actually about. It’s all a bit silly but it really doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things because rock music is inherently goofy but more on that later.

The final stretch of the album is where the real heat is; Cold Hearted Woman is a borderline country track with fantastic backing vocals that would have worked really well as a single but perhaps it will become a live staple, it definitely deserves it. Walking Through Fire deals with the frustrating aspects of the music industry and doing it purely for the love of the game. The landscape of rock music has certainly changed over the last few decades but artists like The Darkness exist to help keep it true to its roots while moving forward.

Another personal favourite tracks is Weekend in Rome, a beautiful sweeping epic that clocks in at 3 minutes. It’s a gorgeous track with amazing Orchestral elements that not only captures the gigantic scale of 70s prog rock masterpieces from acts like Yes and Genesis but also makes a point of showcasing just how ridiculous and nonsensical they could be. If you just say random words over an orchestra and ethereal synths then it automatically becomes a Yes song.

Dreams on Toast is a brilliant album that shows off all the strengths of an immensely talented band as well as an incredibly loud reminder that there’s still a place for this breed of throwback riff driven rock n roll in the modern age. Don’t let Justin’s mum be the only person who bought this album.

Dreams on Toast is out March 28th via Cooking Vinyl records.