Some bands just go on making great music long after their moment in the spotlight. Some bands never put a foot wrong and yet end up huge in one part of the globe and virtually unheard of outside that sphere. Some bands you wait years to see live and they turn out to be a complete revelation. Right at the top of those lists is D.A.D. – a band so Rock and Roll, so consummate, so unmissable that they should be a global phenomenon and a household name. It’s probably the only proof that you need that things aren’t quite right with this world…
If you are already on board the you will know what to expect – huge songs, great lyrics, massive hooks and the best damned two string basslines ever…
There’s a languid, bluesy AC/DC build to ‘God Prays to Man’ to ease us into the new record before ‘1st, 2nd & 3rd’ hits a stuttering groove into a barroom blues and whilst ‘The Ghost’ is a janglier, more atmospheric affair the three together make up the perfect elements of a great D.A.D. record.
Title track ‘Speed of Darkness’ is one of the reasons I’ve always loved this band. It’s slow-burn groove-rider that whets the appetite for more. ‘Head Over Heels’ that follows has a gentler pace and some beautifully set guitar. ‘Live by Fire’ conversely is just a good old fashioned catchy pop rocker that really hits the spot.
‘Crazy Wings’ is more atmospheric and breezy and hugely enjoyable and ‘Keep That MF Down’ a little harder and equally as cool. To me it’s the middle of the album where we really hit the gold. ‘Strange Terrain’ merely confirms that with a nice sinister simmer. It’s classic D.A.D.
‘In My Hands’ creeps and crawls out of the speakers evolving into a great groove-laden rocker, before ‘Everything is Gone Now’ with it’s more direct punk-fired attack gets those heads banging. ‘Automatic Survival’ conversely is all attitude and dark corners before turning into a solid mid-tempo rocker.
Cutting to the chase ‘Waiting is the Way’ that leads us out is another great Rock and Roller that is made to be heard live with a soaring chorus and a pedal to the metal. Final track ‘I’m Still Here’ ends a great album in great style taking it down to a simple vocal and backing reflecting on the great journey that is life with Jesper’s reflective lyric hitting the spot perfectly.
At 14 tracks you could argue that we get too much of a good thing, and if I have to be honest this isn’t my favourite in the D.A.D catalogue, but in saying that with an output so solid this is still a contender for album of year in 2024! Denmark must be a beautiful place to be at the moment
8.5/10
