{"id":5749,"date":"2019-05-30T05:00:35","date_gmt":"2019-05-30T05:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/?p=5749"},"modified":"2019-05-27T22:08:05","modified_gmt":"2019-05-27T22:08:05","slug":"d-a-d-a-prayer-for-the-loud-afm-records","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/?p=5749","title":{"rendered":"D-A-D \u2013 \u2018A Prayer For The Loud\u2019 (AFM Records)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Being together as a band for almost 40 years now \u2013 I guess it\u2019s safe to say that D-A-D would have to be very comfortable in their own skins to have survived quite so long.
\nIt\u2019s hardly surprising then that \u2018A Prayer For The Loud\u2019 the band\u2019s first new studio record in eight years is grounded in this ethos, the band having graduated from their humble Disneyland After Dark cow-punk beginnings into major label arena rock contenders who then, through their own hard work and helpyourselfishness, managed to survive the onset of grunge when most hard rockers perished through to eventually becoming the band they are today and have been since the release of \u2018Everything Glows\u2019 back in 2000. An album which coincidently not only saw the band change their name to D-A-D but also saw the band\u2019s newest member Laust Sonne join the core trio of the band (singer\/guitarist Jesper Binzer, bassist Stig Pedersen and guitarist Jacob Binzer) behind the drum kit.
\nSo, what does almost two decades of being (this version of) D-A-D actually sound like?
\nWell, remember those days when new albums by the likes of Aerosmith and AC\/DC used to leave you thrilled and wanting more? That\u2019s instantly how I felt about \u2018A Prayer For The Loud\u2019, as both those hard rock giants sprung to mind during the first couple of spins, but of course this is always going to be a D-A-D record what with the instantly recognisable rich and raspy vocal tones of Jesper Binzer ever present and ready to strike.
\nOf the eleven new cuts on offer here at least nine of them are total bangers, pure four to the floor rock n roll music, with even glimpses of the mighty Gluecifer and The Cult (circa \u2018Electric\u2019\/\u2019Sonic Temple\u2019) creeping into the mix during the simply immense \u2018The Real Me\u2019.<\/p>\n

The album itself gets off to a blazing start with \u2018Burning Star\u2019 and the throbbing \u2018A Prayer For The Loud\u2019 and I challenge anyone to listen to either of these tracks and not draw an immediate arc back to the band\u2019s commercial peak (here in the UK) of \u2018No Fuel Left For The Pilgrims\u2019 and \u2018Riskin\u2019 It All\u2019, two albums that any connoisseur of quality guitar-driven rock music will have had in their collections for decades now.<\/p>\n

Elsewhere with \u2018Musical Chairs\u2019 which crops up just past the halfway mark, the guys have written the song Airbourne have been searching for since they floundered for a sound to take them to the next level, whilst \u2018Nothing Ever Changes\u2019 and \u2018The Sky Is Made Of Blues\u2019 are the perfect soundtrack for top-down summer driving.<\/p>\n

Of the two slower moments on \u2018A Prayer For The Loud\u2019 album closer \u2018If The World Just\u2019 is my preferred choice over \u2018A Drug For The Heart\u2019 purely because the latter sails a little too close to a certain Backyard Babies track for its own good, albeit with Jesper at the mic this is much more Aerosmith than Social Distortion ballad territory.<\/p>\n

Kudos must also be given here to the production team of Nick Foss and Rune Nissen Petersen who have taken heavy hitters like \u2018No Doubt About It\u2019, \u2018Time Is A Train\u2019 and \u2018Happy Days In Hell\u2019 and given then an enormous sound that instantly fills your head with rock \u2018n\u2019 roll melodies that will live with you for days, no make that years, to come.
\nI\u2019m not entirely sure why I\u2019m so surprised by how amazing \u2018A Prayer For The Loud\u2019 is because D-A-D have always produced quality albums, it\u2019s just this one is right up there with their very best work and is as a said at the beginning of this review the sound of a band very comfortable in their own skins.<\/p>\n

Hands down this is the best classic\/traditional (label it what you will) album I\u2019ve heard in 2019.
\nBUY IT!!!!<\/p>\n

Author: Johnny Hayward<\/p>\n

Buy\u00a0\u2018A Prayer For The Loud\u2019 Here<\/a><\/p>\n