Isn’t it funny how there are some bands that are absolutely massive in their native country/region, yet virtually unknown here in the States? D-A-D is an example of one such band. They are rightfully regarded as one of Scandinavia’s most important hard rock bands 40 years running. Don’t just take our word for it. Take it from Eclipse’s Erik Mårtensson. While the band eventually did score a stateside deal with Warner Bros., their greatest claim to fame in America is their near legal battle that ensued with Disney (D-A-D stands for “Disneyland After Dark”), which is a real shame considering the caliber of music this band was creating.
Did D-A-D ever reinvent the wheel? No, but at their best, they made honest to goodness, rootsy hard rock in the tradition of Zeppelin, Aerosmith, and Hanoi Rocks before them. The songs were fresh with a genuine edge to them, musically and lyrically, serving as a breath of fresh air amongst an increasingly one-dimensional and commercialized mainstream hard rock scene. In the decades that followed, music changed, but D-A-D remained the same. You could always rely on these veterans to put out, at the very least, a palatable old school rock n’ roll album, which is exactly what we have here in their latest affair, Speed of Darkness.
Considering the top shelf outings that were 2011’s DIC.NII.LAN.DAFT.ERD.ARK and 2019’s A Prayer for the Loud, my expectations for Speed of Darkness were rather high. A solid half of this album goes toe to toe with anything off this aforementioned duo, as well as their ’80s heyday. From the atheistic strut of “God Prays to Man” to the melancholic melodies of “The Ghost”, the doomed out gutsiness of “Strange Terrain” to the brash cowpunk of “Everything is Gone Now” (a total throwback to their early years), D-A-D prove that, when they want to, they can still craft dynamic hard rockers with both brains and balls. The production is stripped down and the performances are energetic as ever, absolutely defying time.
Unfortunately, Speed of Darkness falls victim to a practice I’ve lamented about for years, and will continue to do so for years to follow, filling the CD. For every high octane hit on here is a disappointing miss. Whether it be in the form of sleeper ballads (“I’m Still Here”, the title track) or faceless radio rock (“Head Over Heels”, “In My Hands”, “Automatic Survival”), Speed is slowed down by a glut of songs that, at their worst, aren’t even necessarily terrible. They do, however, bog down what would be an otherwise muscular hard rock affair. Mind you, when I use the term “faceless radio rock”, I’m referring to middle of the road rockers that sound less like D-A-D and more like Foo Fighters, who sound like Stone Temple Pilots, who sound like Shinedown, who sound like…you get the idea.
In true selfish purist fashion (at least I can admit it), I’ll probably make a Spotify playlist entitled Speed of Darkness – The Defenders Cut, consisting of the 7 songs on here that absolutely rocked my socks off. As for the other 7 songs, the less that’s said, the better. Anyways, I better cut it with the Mickey Mouse bullshit and give you my rating before Disney’s lawyers are on the line with me. I’m sure Bob Iger is ferociously drafting a cease and desist as I type this.
5 out of 10
Label: AFM Records
Genre: Hard Rock
For fans of: Hanoi Rocks, Aerosmith, AC/DC
Leave a Reply