D-A-D is short for DISNEYLAND AFTER DARK. For some reason or other a certain organisation didn’t like the Danes using that name, so they threatened to sue. That was even back in the eighties, which is fitting, as the band started their existence in the early years of that decade. Their line-up has always stayed the same, with exception of the position of the drummer. Laust Sonne is the new man in the band, only having been with D-A-D since 1999. Since then the band has released 12 studio albums before this one, their (hopefully) lucky thirteenth, “Speed of Darkness”.

For those who are not familiar with D-A-D, their musical style is Hard Rock, with a definite AEROSMITH vibe running through the songs, with (of course) some AC/DC parts thrown in for good measure. And then they add their own musical influences in the blender. This mix gives them a sound that is very much their own, very recognisable, but also very accessible and extremely easy to listen to. Every time I have been listening to the 53 minutes that “Speed of Darkness” is long I have been put at ease straight away. So much so that after a few listening sessions you start to sing along to the music.

People who are familiar with D-A-D, and especially fans, know if they can acquire “Speed of Darkness” without fail or whether they need to listen to it first. For those who D-A-D is posing a new experience, please take your time to listen to “Speed of Darkness”. You will find that there are songs that will grab the first time, like the title song and the opening song “God Prays To Man”. Others will take longer to take hold, and you might even not like all the tunes. As music is emotion on a pure personal level, no one can or will predict what your reaction is.

I do know that my reaction is somewhat subdued. The reason being that although I do like what I hear, I never have the feeling that I am listening to an exceptional band that has made an exceptional album. No, D-A-D is a good band that has produced an okay but very predictable “Speed of Darkness” album with no surprises that will have you jumping for joy. In my eyes this is very good background music that is nice to listen to, nothing more than that.