D-A-D – Speed of Darkness
Release Date: 4th October 2024
Label: AFM Records
Order/Stream
Genre: Hard Rock
FFO: AC/DC, Bon Jovi, LA Guns, Skid Row.
Review By: Paul Cairney
Ah, Disneyland After Dark, the original name of Danish hard rockers D-A-D. This name takes me back to 1989, when on the way to school, a friend criticised the music I was listening to on my personal stereo and handed me a cassette with an album called ‘No Fuel Left for the Pilgrims’, the bands 3rd album. It immediately became a long-term favourite of mine.
Fast Forward to 2024 and, as the band celebrate their 40th birthday, the band release Speed of Darkness, their 13th album. Originally writing 40 songs, D-A-D whittled this down to a mere 14 that compromises the double album.
The album opener is perfect. Drawing on 70s era AC/DC, ‘God Prays to Man’ sees the distinctive vocals of Jesper Binzer stretching out before you. The groove of the riffs is utterly immense, and it is a tremendous throwback to when rock music was cool. It welcomes you into the album like slipping your hand into your warmest leather glove. It is just ‘right’.
Perhaps it is the age of the band, but the cow-punk edge the boys had in their earlier days is now pretty much gone. There are a number of slower, more reflective tracks, but the quality of the musicianship is on point. 3 members of the band have been there since the start, and the drummer, Laust Sonne, joined 25 years ago. This continuity is key, as the band genuinely meld together in the most relaxed of manners. It also ensures that the slower songs contribute to the album, there are no Bon Jovi style ballads here, but there are also a lack of balls-out rockers then band delivered in the 80s and 90s.
The best way to describe the album is ‘relaxing’. It is a cozy album, with welcoming riffs, great vocals and a general tone that sets your mind at ease. There are excitable moments, ‘Strange Terrain’ evokes memories of Black Sabbath, whereas ‘Everything Is Gone Now’ harks back to, let us call it, ‘classic’ D-A-D.
Speed of Darkness may not be for all. It is a grown-up album for grown-up people. Should you find yourself in need of an album that you can just settle down and relax to, this is it.
(3.5 / 5)
D-A-D is in my top 5 list of favorite bands from the 80’s. They have consistently delivered straightforward, melodic rock. Although it is apparent that the age of the members may have had a bit to do with the tracks being a bit more mellow than their early works, the band doesn’t fail on delivering several tracks that tend to stick in one’s mind along with lyrics that address so many current global issues relevant to today’s culture. If you haven’t checked out Jesper’s solo recordings, they are also worth a listen if you are a fan of the band!