Disneyland After Dark, later known as D-A-D, have been around for 40 years. That's a very long time for any rock band but they are still a fantastic and unique live band and their albums in recent years have all been of high quality.
I've had the new album for 4 days now. I preordered it from their official website and that paid off. Not only was it signed by the band but I got it a week earlier than the official release date. I must be their #1 fan ;)
My initials thoughts were that it was a rather dull album without any surprises. After several more spins, I have instead settled on the opinion that it is quite a solid and consistent album without any surprises or any real genuine hits. It basically sounds like many newer D-A-D songs sound. That is not bad at all given the high quality of their songs. They know what they do well and they know how to repeat it with minor variations.
"All we ever want is automatic survival
by the time life starts we are dead on arrival
see the longest lines of souls
with their eyes closed
all they ever want is automatic survival..."
The main problem with this new album is the length of it. It contains several fillers and what could have been a fine album now ends up being less than that. You'll find yourself wanting to skip a filler song every now and then. I have compiled the perfect track list here:
- God Prays To Man
- 1st, 2nd, & 3rd
- The Ghost
- Live By Fire
- Crazy Wings
- Keep That Mother(fucker) Down
- In My Hands
- Automatic Survival (my favorite song on the album)
- I'm Still Here
I would have left out these songs that are basically fillers and/or something we have heard too many times before:
- Speed Of Darkness (boring, something we have heard too many times)
- Head Over Heels (boring, standard ballad)
- Strange Terrain (total filler)
- Everything Is Gone Now (filler)
- Waiting Is The Way (filler)
This would have brought the number of tracks down from 14 to 9 and the runtime down from 53:52 to 36:30. It would have resulted in a much better album and it would have earned a higher rating from me. It would also have fit nicely on a single LP.
"Bridges will burn
and hearts will turn
if you live by fire, yeah
bridges will burn
and I'll never learn
why hearts will turn
but if you live by fire
yeah, bridges will burn"
Let's see how the new songs do live. I'm certain they will fit in well enough. I plan to attend several D-A-D gigs in the coming months, so I won't have to wait long to find out.
As an album the new release doesn't quite do it for me. "Monster Philosophy" [2008] remains the best of their newer albums. I have a plan to fix the new album though. I'll record myself a Mini-Disc with my filler-free 9 songs tracklist above and I guarantee that I'll end up with a much more satisfying album playing on my stereo. Sometimes less is more. Just call me next time, D-A-D, and I'll point out the fillers for you.
Rating: 
Band: D-A-D
Record Title: Speed Of Darkness
This Release: 2024
RunTime: 54
Record Format: LP
Record Label: Warner Music Group
Extra Info:
Available on 2LP and CD
TrackList:
- God Prays To Man
- 1st, 2nd, & 3rd
- The Ghost
- Speed Of Darkness
- Head Over Heels
- Live By Fire
- Crazy Wings
- Keep That Mother Down
- Strange Terrain
- In My Hands
- Everything Is Gone Now
- Automatic Survival
- Waiting Is The Way
- I'm Still Here
Content Type: Record Review
Language: 
Updated: 2024-10-02 19:50
Created: 2024-10-02 19:31
