Back catalogue: All genres

Review: ***B-STOCK: Slight surface marks ***


Permission To Land is the debut album by glam rockers The Darkness, originally released in 2003. True to their name, The Darkness were dark horses indeed, having been sorely underestimated by the guffawing gatekeepers at Sony, who failed to see any promise in the band after being deemed "uncool", perhaps due to their bombastic rock & roll sound and high vocal drawl from Justin Hawkins. Sony were easily knocked off their high horse, however, when the band later signed with Atlantic, after which the album would top the US Albums Chart, peaking at number two. For the fans, this reissue harks back to their earliest hits, such as 'I Believe in a Thing Called Love', and 'Growing On Me'.

Review: Some 19 years later (and not a moment too soon) this great compilation from Nu Metal legends Deftones is seeing its much-needed repress - with an added remastering to sweeten the deal. A tough record to find at a stomachable price for a while, 'B Sides & Rarities' is full of acoustic versions, demos and covers of the likes of The Smiths, Cocteau Twins, The Cure and - most amusingly - Sade. 'Wax and Wane' is a severely underrated cover, a wicked interpretation filled with punchy guitars and, of course, Chino Moreno's mastery of blending metal and new wave vocals. The most popular of the tracks on offer here is, without doubt, 'Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want', their cover of The Smiths' 1984 B-side to 'William It Was Really Nothing' . It's a rollercoaster of a cover, with a wild guitar solo and filled with the same rumbling, underlying sadness that made the original such a staple. Who doesn't love a melancholic metal song?