"Speed Of Darkness", the new album from celebrated Celtic punk ensemble Flogging Molly, is finally out on the group's newly founded Borstal Beat Records. "Speed Of Darkness" is Flogging Molly's fifth, and arguably most important album. In the words of lead singer and songwriter Dave King, "It wasn't the album we set out to write. It became the album we had to write." "Speed Of Darkness" was written in Detroit, MI and takes a hard-nosed look at the economic collapse in the US: the causes and the direct effect it has had on everyday people. The Motor City serves as the album's muse and one of the biggest examples of what has gone wrong. While "Speed Of Darkness" attacks much of the greed and ignorance responsible for where we are, the album also delivers a message of hope, humanity and the resilience of mankind. It reminds us how we grow stronger when faced with adversity and how we bond together and become more involved. "Speed Of Darkness" features Flogging Molly's own blend of rock, folk, punk, blues and traditional Irish music with King's populist poetry. The title track explodes with an intense rush of pure adrenaline and passion.The same can be said of "The Power's Out", Oliver Boy" and "Don't Shut 'Em Down", while, "So Sail On" and "The Cradle Of Humankind" cut straight to the heart with their gorgeous melodies and poignant messages. The band's traditional roots shine on "The Heart Of The Sea", "The Present State Of Grace" and "A Prayer For Me In Silence", a duet with fiddler Bridget Regan, a Detroit native and the wife of King. "Speed Of Darkness" was produced by Ryan Hewitt (Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Avett Brothers). From their beginnings as a raucous pub band in Los Angeles in the late 1990's, King, Regan, guitarist Dennis Casey, bassist Nathen Maxwell, accordion player Matthew Hensley, banjo/mandolin player Robert Schmidt and drummer George Schwindt wore their blue collar ethos proudly and loudly, especially during their incredible live performances. And now, as the country and the rest of the world rise up to recover and rebuild, never has that ethos been more apparent and important than on "Speed Of Darkness".