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  • Release Date:
Only By The Night Image
Metascore
63

Generally favorable reviews - based on 30 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
7.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 223 Ratings

  • Summary: The fourth album for the rock band from Tennessee was produced by Angelo Petraglia and Jacquire King.

Top Track

Sex On Fire
Lay where you're laying Don't make a sound I know they're watching They're watching All the commotion The kiddie like play Has people... See the rest of the song lyrics
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 30
  2. Negative: 3 out of 30
  1. The dreamy 'Cold Desert' is the perfect maudlin end to this short, sharp, 42-minute, no-filler album, revelling in every miserable blues-rocker cliché as Matthew's guitar goes all shoegazey and then briefly threatens to turn the whole thing into a 'Purple Rain' wig-out.
  2. It's the mark of a great band when each new album is better than the one before it, and with Only by the Night, Kings of Leon shows once more just how great a band it has become.
  3. 80
    The four players are able to design the tracks in architectural detail, each part locking into the rest with unerring precission, and this tautness keeps the album from sagging through its most challenging stretch. [Oct 2008, p.78]
  4. Through headphones or computer speakers, Caleb's echoey vocals just don't ring credible. Their Black-Crowes-go-new-wave choruses are exciting enough, but they feel unearned after tiresome, oversung verses.
  5. Mojo
    60
    Only By The Night is best viewed as a transitional record from a band who have quite literally done their growing up in public. [Oct 2008, p.98]
  6. While their ambition for evolving remains admirable, their apparent failure to understand their own strengths is troubling and undermines the promise they showed on their previous efforts.
  7. Where surprises could be found with each previous release to give even casual fans something to appreciate, Only by the Night delivers an even serving of Ritalin coma stadium rock destined to raise their prime age demographic.

See all 30 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 59 out of 97
  2. Negative: 26 out of 97
  1. ChK
    Sep 23, 2008
    10
    Pure greatness. It's almost as good as their debut.
  2. MattL.
    Sep 30, 2008
    10
    Sex on Fire, Be Somebody, Manhattan, Notion, I Want You, and Be Somebody are good.
  3. Oct 11, 2013
    10
    Simply brilliant. All of the band's albums before this were genius and nothing has changed. Only by the Night is diverse and unique. EachSimply brilliant. All of the band's albums before this were genius and nothing has changed. Only by the Night is diverse and unique. Each track is totally different and it will be known as one of the best rock albums of our generation. It's truly one of the best albums I have ever heard by one of the best bands I have ever heard. Well done, Kings of Leon. My favorite tracks are Be Somebody, Closer, Crawl, Notion, Cold Desert and Revelry. Expand
  4. CoryB.
    Oct 4, 2008
    8
    One of the strongest rock vocal albums in a while.
  5. Cameron
    Oct 22, 2008
    6
    KOl of my favourite band and i was eagerly anticipating this album yet apart from 'Use Somebody', 'Crawl', 'Cold KOl of my favourite band and i was eagerly anticipating this album yet apart from 'Use Somebody', 'Crawl', 'Cold Desert' and perhaps 'Closer' the rest is not up to their colossal standards that were shown on the last 3 albums. To me it seems rushed with too many leftovers from their last album. Expand
  6. BrianB
    Jul 23, 2009
    3
    When you consider their their first 2 records, this is a zero. But rating it against the field, I still have to give it some credit, there When you consider their their first 2 records, this is a zero. But rating it against the field, I still have to give it some credit, there are 3 or 4 songs I don't mind listening to. I call this record their "get laid and paid in America" record. Because that's all it's good for. Congratulations guys, you were my favorite band, and now you have 10x as many fans but they are all douche bags. So disappointing. Y&YM remains one of the greatest albums EVER! Expand
  7. KennyM
    Sep 24, 2008
    0
    Why do Kings of Leon suck now?

See all 97 User Reviews