BETH BLADE AND THE BEAUTIFUL DISASTERS
Beth Blade and the Beautiful Disasters are based in Cardiff and the band line-up, the eponymous Beth aside who provides vocals and performs rhythm guitar duties, consists of Craig Manning on lead guitar, Nicko Goodwin on bass and drummer Sam Brain.
The band rattle through the ten songs on this release in 35 minutes. The majority are high octane and up tempo rockers, the best of which are probably the opener, 'Hell Yeah!', 'Beautiful Disease' which has a staccato rhythm that propels the track along, and 'Hell In High Heels' which has a chorus that you can easily imagine being sung by the crowd at the band's gigs.
It is the remaining two songs, though, that stand out and really showcase Beth's superb voice. They are slower, almost ballad-like in style, but with plenty of substance. The first, 'Poster Girl For Pain', has a slightly menacing, slow burning feel to it and, lyrically, continues the sadomasochistic thread that runs through the album. The second, and for me the best track on this release, is 'Angel With A Dirty Face', in which the whole band really deliver, with a brief but excellent solo from Manning and a stunning vocal performance from Beth which has hints of Julianne Regan of All About Eve.
Overall, this is a solid release. The heavier, up tempo tracks are fairly standard and, at times, the lyrics are a little clichéd but, as stated above, the pair of more measured songs lift the band above the average and hint at what they might be capable of once they have more experience under their collective belts. I hope they are able to go on and build on this promising foundation.
The band rattle through the ten songs on this release in 35 minutes. The majority are high octane and up tempo rockers, the best of which are probably the opener, 'Hell Yeah!', 'Beautiful Disease' which has a staccato rhythm that propels the track along, and 'Hell In High Heels' which has a chorus that you can easily imagine being sung by the crowd at the band's gigs.
It is the remaining two songs, though, that stand out and really showcase Beth's superb voice. They are slower, almost ballad-like in style, but with plenty of substance. The first, 'Poster Girl For Pain', has a slightly menacing, slow burning feel to it and, lyrically, continues the sadomasochistic thread that runs through the album. The second, and for me the best track on this release, is 'Angel With A Dirty Face', in which the whole band really deliver, with a brief but excellent solo from Manning and a stunning vocal performance from Beth which has hints of Julianne Regan of All About Eve.
Overall, this is a solid release. The heavier, up tempo tracks are fairly standard and, at times, the lyrics are a little clichéd but, as stated above, the pair of more measured songs lift the band above the average and hint at what they might be capable of once they have more experience under their collective belts. I hope they are able to go on and build on this promising foundation.
LABEL:
FORMAT:
Self-released
Album
BAD HABIT
Review by Dave Uphill
RUNNING TIME:
35:26
RELEASE DATE:
3rd April 2017
TRACK LISTING
1) Hell Yeah!
2) Bad Habit
3) Beautiful Disease
4) Down and Dirty
5) Poster Girl for Pain
6) This Bitch Bites
7) Hell in High Heels
8) If You're Ready to Rock
9) Angel with a Dirty Face
10) Legends Never Die
2) Bad Habit
3) Beautiful Disease
4) Down and Dirty
5) Poster Girl for Pain
6) This Bitch Bites
7) Hell in High Heels
8) If You're Ready to Rock
9) Angel with a Dirty Face
10) Legends Never Die
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:
UK
"It is the remaining two songs... that stand out and really showcase Beth's superb voice."
