Speed of Darkness
Studio album by
Flogging Molly
ReleasedMay 31, 2011
RecordedEcho Mountain, Asheville, North Carolina
GenreCeltic punk, punk rock
LabelBorstal Beat Records
ProducerRyan Hewitt
Flogging Molly chronology
Live at the Greek Theatre
(2010)		 Speed of Darkness
(2011)		 Life Is Good
(2017)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic link
Alternative Press[1]
Rock Sound link
Spin6/10 link

Speed of Darkness is the fifth studio album by the Irish-American Celtic punk band Flogging Molly, released on May 31, 2011. The album was recorded at Echo Mountain, an old church building turned recording studio in Asheville, North Carolina.[2][3] The album was produced by Ryan Hewitt, who has worked with bands Red Hot Chili Peppers and The Avett Brothers.[4] Speed of Darkness debuted at number nine on the Billboard 200 chart and number four on the Billboard Independent Chart.[5] It is the band's last album with drummer George Schwindt.

The expression speed of darkness had appeared in a 1999 book mixing physics and fiction, named The Science of Discworld, written by Terry Pratchett, Ian Stewart and Jack Cohen. In a 2011 interview on BBC Radio 1, frontman Dave King explained that the title track and album title was taken from a quote of Dino Misetić, the artist who designed the album cover, which appeared in the book Sarajevo Marlboro. Dino, who grew up in the Balkans during the Balkan Wars, is quoted in the book, saying: "They taught us what the speed of light is, but nobody can teach you what the speed of darkness is."[6]

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Dave King; all music is composed by Flogging Molly

No.TitleLength
1."Speed of Darkness"4:08
2."Revolution"3:13
3."The Heart of the Sea"3:43
4."Don't Shut 'Em Down"3:40
5."The Power's Out"4:39
6."So Sail On"2:47
7."Saints & Sinners"3:31
8."This Present State of Grace"2:48
9."The Cradle of Humankind"5:11
10."Oliver Boy (All of Our Boys)"4:07
11."A Prayer for Me in Silence"1:54
12."Rise Up"3:34
Total length:43:15
Bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
13."Saints & Sinners (acoustic)" 

Reception

The album received generally positive reviews from music critics. Allmusic have the album a mostly positive review, commenting that "while Flogging Molly hasn’t done much to innovate on their sound over the past decade or so, it doesn’t feel like they have to." Spin's reception was more mixed, as they wrote that while "rabble-rousing frontman Dave King champions defiant hope amid crushing desperation" the "overly smooth production undercuts his righteous fury, suggesting the group harbors dreams of a Green Day-style commercial breakthrough."

Personnel

Flogging Molly

  • Dave King – lead vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, classical guitar, bodhran
  • Bridget Regan – violin, tin whistle, vocals (lead vocals on "A Prayer for Me in Silence")
  • Dennis Casey – electric guitar, six string acoustic guitar, twelve string acoustic guitar, vocals
  • Matt Hensley – piano accordion, button accordion, concertina, vocals
  • Nathen Maxwell – bass, vocals
  • Bob Schmidt – tenor banjo, five string banjo, bouzouki, mandolin, vocals
  • George Schwindt – drums, percussion

Additional musicians

  • Joe Kwon (The Avett Brothers) – cello on tracks 3, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11
  • Rich Wiley – trumpet on track 2
  • Ed Roth – piano on track 9
  • Evan Hill – gang vocals on track 10

Charts

Chart (2011) Peak
position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[7] 14
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[8] 83
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[9] 71
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[10] 27
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[11] 59
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[12] 28
US Billboard 200[13] 9
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[14] 4
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[15] 3
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[16] 4

References

  1. ↑ Jun 2011 issue, pp.111
  2. ↑ "Flogging Molly". Flogging Molly. Retrieved March 10, 2012.
  3. ↑ "Clients – Echo Mountain Recording Studio – Asheville, NC". Echomountain.net. Retrieved March 10, 2012.
  4. ↑ "Discography". Ryanhewitt.com. Retrieved March 10, 2012.
  5. ↑ Jurgensen, John (May 27, 2011). "Flogging Molly: Songs from Detroit via Dublin – WSJ.com". Online.wsj.com. Retrieved March 10, 2012.
  6. ↑ "Flogging Molly BBC Radio 1 Interview". Youtube.com. May 6, 2011.
  7. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Flogging Molly – Speed of Darkness" (in German). Hung Medien.
  8. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Flogging Molly – Speed of Darkness" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
  9. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Flogging Molly – Speed of Darkness" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
  10. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Flogging Molly – Speed of Darkness" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts.
  11. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Flogging Molly – Speed of Darkness". Hung Medien.
  12. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Flogging Molly – Speed of Darkness". Hung Medien.
  13. ↑ "Flogging Molly Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
  14. ↑ "Flogging Molly Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard.
  15. ↑ "Flogging Molly Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard.
  16. ↑ "Flogging Molly Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard.
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