A million questions flood our heads when a legacy act like The Damned announces new music. We ask ourselves if this will be some sort of return to form or if the band will attempt to reinvent themselves in the pursuit of creative longevity. Some bands are able to stretch their imagination so thin that time no longer applies and their latest releases keep up with the classics that earned them a cult following.
For over 45 years, U.K.’s first punk band has been continually releasing music that does just that, adding to their legacy without tarnishing the history that The Damned name carries with it. This week brings us the latest chapter in The Damned memoir-esque discography as Darkadelic marks the band’s 12th studio album and its most ambitious in years. Through 12 tracks, The Damned manipulate punk tropes to fill stadiums while creating wildly entertaining song structures that keep words like “mundane” far from any conversation surrounding these songs. With decades of experience and complete creative freedom, The Damned pieced together an album that is refreshing and direct while still allowing room to innovate.
The band found a gray area between what they know and their thirst for discovery, although “gray” feels like a lackluster term for the sound they landed on for Darkadelic. The balance that was struck for the album is far more colorful and vivid, encapsulating the many phases of The Damned into one solid piece of music. The band incorporates gothic synths and masterful playing into these arena-filling compositions that give way to moments of intimacy, allowing the album to bounce from one mood to the next while being anchored by unfiltered creativity. It is clear the band approached Darkadelc with a tireless artistic drive as soon as you hit play with track one doubling as one of the best songs on the album.
“The Invisible Man” kicks things off with a heady drum pattern that gives way to a bolt of electricity as each element swells together, letting us know that this album was a collective effort from veteran musicians who want nothing more than a final product they’re proud of. That blistering tempo then slows itself down to a more personal, almost psychedelic sound before picking back up to an even faster pace than before. This collage style of structuring songs makes up the DNA of Darkadelic, giving this seemingly standard rock track a boost of energy and personality.
The album is driven by straight musicianship, there are no fancy tricks needed for The Damned to create music that is as invigorating as it is nostalgic. The most noticeable contribution is from a fresh face to The Damned Universe, drummer William Granville-Taylor, whose powerful playing gave these songs the extra thuds and crashes needed to round out these compositions. His playing made an obvious difference to The Damned’s overall sound, it’s ambitious and loud while still coming off as humble and only taking the spotlight when needed. These masterful drum pockets are matched with the weeping guitar solos of Captain Sensible, whose strumming taps into a more emotional side that gives even the most hectic tracks a hint of sensitivity.
A track like “Western Promise” encompasses the impressive musicianship of the entire band while also being one of the more sonically ambitious songs on Darkadelic. The song is built like a jazz track the way each instrument takes turns in the spotlight. Monty Oxymoron’s keys dance with melodies from a trumpet until that trumpet is replaced with the emotional playing of Sensible all while a thunderous drum pattern echoes to keep things steady. The band used this track to showcase their unity as a band while still keeping things fresh.
Darkadelic features a collection of songs that are individually strong, although when you take a step back and view the full photo, the album can feel disjointed. The cohesiveness of the album was sacrificed for small moments of pure fiery rock that stand stronger than others. The pop-sensibilities used on “Follow Me” give the track an infectious bounce while the following track, “Motorcycle Man”, harkens back to the early Damned days with cartoonish vocals and ferocious playing. Each song on its own is great but when strung together on a tracklist like this, they feel more forced and a way to show The Damned’s diversity rather than coming together for a full album experience.
Outside of the storied history of The Damned, their latest effort leaves nothing on the cutting room floor as the band meticulously crafts each song with a force of creativity only achievable through confidence and a love for the art. Darkadelic finds our heroes in a place of freedom that allows the album to have a free-flowing format that still plays with a purpose despite never finding that cohesive sound. For 12 tracks, The Damned combined their decades of experience with a passion for growth and expansion that lets this album stand out from any other release from the band. The Damned achieved something so many bands have attempted and fallen short of, they created an album with so much depth and impressive musicianship that it forces us to rethink when their “glory days” really occurred, or if they ever ended.
