BETH BLADE AND THE BEAUTIFUL DISASTERS - Bad Habit

10 songs
35:22 minutes
***** ***
(self-released)

Bandpage

Wales has always had a fertile ground for pop and rock music, beginning with the likes of Tom Jones, Shirley Bassey and Shakin’ Stevens, and later more modern acts like Stereophonic, Manic Street Preachers and the very Welsh Gorky's Zygotic Mynci. A new and really entertaining band from Wales is Beth Blade and the Beautiful Disasters who just released their debut album Bad Habit which despite no support from a record label is a highly rocking affair.

Beth Blade is a fierce rocker that would have fitted well with the Runaways. She has strong charisma and apart from being the vocalist, she also plays the guitar and is in charge of most of the songwriting. The band plays a mix of traditional rock and hard rock, rooted mostly in the Eighties. The songs are quite simple and adhere to classic structures, but will stick with you due to their great catchiness. Beth Blade and the Beautiful Disasters are located somewhere between Joan Jett, Lita Ford and Mötley Crüe. Beth’s smoky, jaded vocals give Bad Habit that special something. The retro flavoured blues track Down And Dirty even show parallels to Janis Joplin. Hell In High Heels reminds a little of Led Zeppelin and should also appeal to the oldies faction.

The songs are generally quite short and despite numerous guitar solos, the material still feels compact. The longest track Poster Girl From Pain for instance makes it just to four and a half minutes. On this semi-ballad, the band shows itself from an unexpected dramatic side and surprises at the end with a great drone part. Only the penultimate Angel With A Dirty Face is a little too much on the kitsch side and could have come from a lesser Heart album. She makes it up with the concluding Legends Never Die which offers grandiose arena rock that Meat Loaf couldn’t have done any better.

Bad Habit was financed by crowdfunding, and it didn’t take long for Beth Blade to get all the necessary funds. She didn’t disappoint her supporter and delivered an authentic rock album that may be flirting a lot with common clichés, especially when it comes to the lyrics, but that’s all part of the game. Bad Habit is a short and entertaining record that should appeal to people who like their rock direct and straight in your face.