Flogging Molly
Speed Of Darkness

"Speed of Darkness" is the latest work by the folk punk group Flogging Molly, which has now reached its full artistic maturity. The variety and sonic complexity are the hallmark of these "Irish" from Los Angeles: violin, electric and acoustic guitar, banjo, bass, and bouzouki are synchronized like clockwork mechanisms.

To the noisy outbursts for pogo ("Speed of Darkness") and the melancholic pauses ("So Sail On") that already characterized previous albums, are added this time unexpected melodic surges that ennoble leader Dave King and his shrill voice like a pirate worn out from rum abuse. The march-like rhythms and the drum rolls in the verses and the lyrical tones of the choruses, emphasized by the violin notes, now represent one of the band's distinctive traits.

"Revolution" is one of the best tracks on the album, a carefree tale of oppressed but indomitable workers, accelerated by pounding drums and genuinely punk sounds, while with "The Heart of The Sea" the band's more Celtic soul comes out. The two impulses blend wonderfully in "Saints & Sinners," where a powerful electric violin riff enters forcefully over the pounding cycles of bass and banjo, creating an atmosphere of western duels and caravan races. "Cradle of Humankind" represents a radical change of register, where the soothing waves of the piano and the poignant accompaniment of the accordion take the lead.

Flogging Molly confirms themselves as the strongest exponents, along with the Dropkick Murphys, of a genre launched 20 years ago by the Pogues and once again brought to public attention in the last ten years, which they continue to interpret in an original way.