Get your hands offa my new CD

As if the pressures of the dreaded sophomore release weren't intimidating enough, The Darkness have had a lot on their plate since the stunning Permission to Land debuted in 2003. Lead singer Justin Hawkins has made a name for himself by spending much of 2004 in a drug rehab clinic, and in October he called Coldplay frontman Chris Martin a "diva." After leaving the band, citing musical differences, bassist Frankie Poulain was replaced by guitar technician Richie Edwards. \nExternally, the band has repelled death threat letters and an incident where their new album was put up for auction on eBay two weeks before its official release date. \nIt's no joke when critics liken The Darkness to Queen, a comparison that makes even more sense after listening to One Way Ticket. Calling upon the services of Freddie Mercury and Co.'s former producer Roy Thomas Baker, The Darkness attained an inimitable but familiar sound. "English Country Garden" and "Blind Man" would fit right in with "Bohemian Rhapsody" on A Night at the Opera. All three songs are laden with a rich soaring choir and a heavy ballad piano, both new spices for The Darkness. \nThe typical ingredients are still there, of course. Justin Hawkins' voice continues to shatter glass within a one-mile radius, guitar solos mesmerize and general musical ingenuity abounds. But the band has dug deeper this time around the bend, because the only track that plays along with Permission to Land is "Bald." It has that rock anthem appeal, starting off a little slow, but by the last few measures it has you head-banging like Butthead. \nNew pieces have been added to the puzzle as well. Orchestras, sitars, bagpipes and more prominent piano and acoustic guitars increase the album's depth. \n"One Way Ticket" follows the familiar Darkness recipe in terms of lyrics by telling an anecdote. Here Hawkins replays the night he was taken to the hospital after a cocaine overdose: "Chewing my face off talking absolute rubbish/The first line hit me like a kick in the face." The articulation doesn't seem to be as sharp as most of the tracks on Permission to Land, but it's nonetheless entertaining. \n"Is It Just Me?" and "Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time" take more than a few rounds in the CD player to sink in. The other eight songs, however, are easily adaptable.\nIt's comforting to see modern bands looking up to classic rock influences, but The Darkness may have followed too closely in Queen's footsteps. Regardless, One Way Ticket to Hell ... and Back represents another seemingly effortless album from an externally comical but internally stern band.