In the harsh light of day, Darkness disappoints

Advance word from England was that the Darkness was a cross between AC/DC and Queen. Cool!

Except that what finally arrived here was a lot more like disposable FM rock of the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, a throwback to Journey and Foreigner and ... Loverboy. All the stuff you hoped was gone forever.

The Darkness seemed like a joke, a new Spinal Tap for rock fans ready to escape from nu-metal, teen pop, hip-hop and the rest. The band is as much about its look as music, with long hair and spandex, karate kicks and a glowering bassist with a Fu Manchu ‘stache.

The Darkness conquered England, and fully expects to do so here. “Put your thumbs in the air!” singer Justin Hawkins shouted during a performance last year at the Roxy.

But it has grown old quick. And most of the quartet’s debut, “Permission to Land,” is barely listenable even once. Take the song “Love Is Only a Feeling”: funny title (intentional or not), but musically it is the thinnest, lamest power ballad imaginable, ready for a Nashville lightweight or Hilary Duff. No muscle, no soul.

The heavier the Darkness gets, the better. Guitarist Dan Hawkins often finds a nice pattern of solid rock riffs, and even sounds as if he could sit in for AC/DC’s Angus Young for a song or two.

But then Hawkins’ brother, Justin, lets loose with his shrill, mindless, overactive vocals, sounding like a castrato with a headache. Showy and pointless.

Not every pop style needs a revival. This one needs a fast burial.