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Beautiful Disease
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If You're Ready To Rock
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“There are plenty of “hard rock” bands out there, so it continues to surprise me when I pop a new one one for review and it blows me away. Albums like Bad Habit prove that rock and roll simply can’t die”
Beth Blade And The Beautiful Disasters
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BAD HABIT Album Reviews
CLASSIC ROCK MAGAZINE ISSUE 235
Taking a leaf out of the Joan Jett/Lita Ford school of chick rock, Cardiff based Beth Blade and her beautiful Disasters have done their homework. And they crowdfunded their debut album so successfully that they even got to record some of it at the famed Rockfield studios, where the ghosts of some of Blade's illustrious predecessors seeped out of the walls and into the grooves. It helps to raise a fairly standard set of rockers up several notches, aided by Blade's straining vocals that add a sense of urgency, backing up the steady flow of guitar riffs. But it's the power ballad Poster Girl For Pain that impresses most, with its original style and delivery. It augurs well for the future. It's all summed up in the final, autobiographical Legends Never Die, where Blade discovers her dream while watching MTV at the age of seven. Rock on girl
7/10
POWERPLAY ISSUE 196
Blazing out of Cardiff come Beth Blade And The Beautiful Disasters who have played a couple of support slots with Marco Mendoza, Ricky Warwick and Damon Johnson, along with headlining a few shows of their own. They come across like a cross between Halestorm and Joan Jett, but there's also a major hint of Jody Turner in the way Beth can turn from angel to psycho bitch in a heartbeat. The opening trio of 'Hell Yeah!', 'Bad Habit' and 'Beautiful Disease' rocks hard with real attitude before the undoubted crowd favourite of 'Down and Dirty'. The darkly sexual Fifty Shades influenced 'Poster Girl For Pain' has you thinking does she really before the snot nosed proper rock and roll duo of 'This Bitch Bites' and 'Hell In High Heels'. 'If You're Ready To Rock' needs to be quicker and more robust in order to put that fist pumping sentiment across-strange as they have no problem putting on the attitude. The acoustic comes out and Beth sounds absolutely angelic on 'Angel With A Dirty Face' which leads to the lyrical wordplay of 'Legends Never Die' where they cite a load of classic rock songs, clever or dumb? You decide. This is full on at times with a shed load of the right kind of attitude for rock and roll, so I enjoyed it. Excellent debut and I'm looking forward to catching them live!
7/10
FIREWORKS MAGAZINE ISSUE 78
A young female-fronted quartet from Cardiff, Beth Blade And The Beautiful Disasters, have spent the last 18 months honing their craft touring as support to the likes of Rocky Warwick and Damon Johnson and The Marco Mendoza band. 'Bad Habit' is their debut album following the 'Sick Like This' EP and funded by a Pledge Music campaign. Recorded in just six days under the guidance of Nick Brine, (Thunder, Tyketto, The Darkness) the album is a raw, in your face, straight-forward, concise Rock and Roll album. Fuelled by a middle-finger-in-the-air confident attitude and displaying a penchant for rabble-rousing anthems, this definitely will appeal to fans of The Amorettes and Thundermother. Beth Blade possesses a mighty powerful and well-rounded voice while new guitarist Craig Manning is a real talent, able to fire off solos that can melt your face off yet also exhibiting enough restraint when required...... A very good start and album number two could well be amazing!
7/10
LEGACY MAGAZINE GERMANY
'A successful crowdfunding campaign led BETH BLADE & THE BEAUTIFUL DISASTERS into the studio where the band and powerful-voiced frontwoman realised their first album. And Bad Habit is definitely one of those albums a lover of hard rock music should put on the shelf.The record is at least as bold as the performance of the singer, even in the quiet moments there is a force in her, which is often missed elsewhere [in other music]. BETH BLADE & THE BEAUTIFUL DISASTERS have a whole range of first class earworms, often reminiscent of the 90s albums of Aerosmith and Guns’n’Roses, but overall a bit dirtier. ‘Down and Dirty’ and ‘This Bitch Bites’ are full of energy and at the same time quite heavy beats [thick grooves], while ‘Legends Never Die’ and ‘Beautiful Disease’ back up the band’s classic rock credibility. Bad Habit is great fun - especially because the record sounds very authentic and the band themselves bring a lot of fun. The time of crowdfunding should, therefore, be over quickly because it would have to be a deal with the devil if the labels did not go for such a big fish at their at the fishing rod. A piece of Gold!
13/15
BLACK VELVET MAGAZINE ISSUE 95
Beth Blade And The Beautiful Disasters debut album is modern melodic hard rock with a dollop of sleaze and a take no prisoners attitude. Opener 'Hell Yeah!' is a high octane start with a rabble-rousing chorus and a hard partying style. Title track 'Bad Habit' keeps up the pace with a grinding guitar line which breaks into a soaring solo, while Beth's strong vocals add power and intensity. A different form of vocal intensity comes in Poster Girl For Pain, which allows Beth to demonstrate her emotional range and ups the melodic element overall. 'Angel With A Dirty Face' is something really special- it's a stunningly beautiful and expressive story of a troubled young woman. The instrumentation is fantastic with the guitar melody and solo in power ballad territory and a perfect match for the lyrics. This is one of the standout track of the album. Closing out with 'Legends Never Die', the band pays tribute to their influences and sends you off rocking. It's a strong first album and a thoroughly good time.
4/5
MOSHVILLE TIMES
Bad Habit is laid out well with a cracking opener (“Hell Yeah”) and rousing closer (“Legends Never Die”) which makes you want to just hit the “play on repeat” button with its references to Spinal Tap, AC/DC, Motörhead, GN’R, KISS, Queen and more.
There are plenty of “hard rock” bands out there, so it continues to surprise me when I pop a new one one for review and it blows me away. Albums like Bad Habit prove that rock and roll simply can’t die. There are too many acts like Beth Blade & The Beautiful Disasters writing and recording absolute belters. I’m very much looking forward to seeing them at Wildfire in Scotland this year. Roll on June!
http://www.moshville.co.uk/reviews/album-review/2017/03/review-beth-blade-the-beautiful-disasters-bad-habit/
UBER ROCK
Delivering a swift ‘Hell Yeah’, Beth immediately proves that she can get hot ‘n’ sweaty with the best of them, delivering a hard-hitting slice of in-your-face rock action with as catchy a hook as you’ll hear this side of The Amorettes. The title track evokes the punky spirit of The Runaways combined with the pop sensibilities of Paramore and the crunching grooves of Girlschool in their youth, while ‘Beautiful Disease’, complete with its cowbell intro (and, dang, I love a good cowbell thwack), is infectious in its curling dynamism, its main riff wrapping itself around with the grace of a Ferrari sweeping into a long curve.
‘Down And Dirty’ does exactly what it says, lasciviously licking your private parts with its dense intentional groove, before Beth proves she has a softer side with the huge ‘Poster Girl For Pain’: a mellow, slightly fuzzed out guitar underpins her haunting vocal, which speaks from a very obvious personal experience, as the song builds in intensity and then pulls back into dense introspection. It’s definitely one of those songs which lingers in your memory cells for quite some time after listening to it.
The tempo moves up a notch again with the confrontation punk fuck that is ‘This Bitch Bites’: and, don’t argue with Ms Blades, ‘cos she most definitely does and will hold her surname to your throat and demand you dance to her tune. Not that you’ll need any encouragement, as it’s a room stomper of a tune, built on another catchy-as-fuck riff and huge harmony. The lady then proves that she’s ‘Hell In The Heels’: and, boy, she’s grinding them into your groin, with a smile on her face in the process. ‘If You’re Ready To Rock’ Ms Blades most definitely is bringing it to the party with a slice of pure no-nonsense anthemic rawk that will get your fist pumping and your voice incoherently singing along: and there’s that wonderful cowbell again, making me click my fingers in time to its beautiful beat.
http://uberrock.co.uk/cd-reviews/24-april-cd/19139-beth-blade-and-the-beautiful-disasters-bad-habit-self-released.html
NATIONAL ROCK REVIEW
Bad Habit is the long-awaited debut album from Welsh rockers Beth Blade And The Beautiful Disasters. Hailing from Cardiff, Beth Blade And The Beautiful Disasters are a melodic hard rock band comprised of Beth Blade (vocals/rhythm guitar), Craig Manning (lead guitar), Nicko Goodwin (bass), and Sam Brain (drums). Bad Habit follows on from the band’s previous EP, Sick Like This, and is a great step forward. The record has been crowd-funded and independently released, a sign that hard work can pay off. Released through a PledgeMusic campaign, Bad Habit was engineered, produced and mixed by Nick Brine (The Darkness, Thunder, Bruce Springsteen and more) and mastered by Pete Maher, (The Rolling Stones, U2, Thunder). It was recorded in just six days split between the legendary Rockfield Studios and Leeders Vale Studios in South Wales. The album kicks off with “Hell Yeah,” a song which really sets the scene for the rest of the record, it features some great vocals, blistering guitar and a solid rhythm foundation. The track has an almost anthemic quality and will inevitably be a popular live number. The title track “Bad Habit” starts with some screaming vocals from Blade and you can’t help but bang your head to the songs up-tempo beat. The first single from the album, “Beautiful Disease” follows and yet again much like “Hell Yeah” it’s another infectious rocking number which is destined to be a fan favourite. “Down And Dirty” is more of a melodic number, with dirty undertones which perfectly accompany the song’s lyrics. On the other hand “Poster Girl For Pain” starts slowly, which helps to illustrate the darker lyrics portrayed in the song. It could easily feature on a movie soundtrack, such is the imagery conjured up by the number. “This Bitch Bites” could well be the opposite side of the last track, with it’s driving catchy beat below a contradicting lyric to the victim previously portrayed – it is certainly one of the songs of the album. “Hell In High Heels” is another hard rocking number, with a subtle Kiss feel about it. It features some catchy guitar licks and lyrics to match. “If You’re Ready To Rock” takes us back to the 80s as Blade brings out her inner Joan Jett / Lita Ford to deliver another superb song. “Angel With A Dirty Face” has a great guitar intro before Blade projects some deeply emotional lyrics, the end result being a fantastic mellow, laid back song. Bad Habit closes with an homage to many of the rock greats in the shape of “Legends Never Die.” The song references a who’s who of the band’s influences, with song titles mixed into the lyrics such as “Highway to Hell” and “Youth Gone Wild.” A fitting end to a fantastic debut.
Bad Habit features ten great songs and has been well put together and produced. The album is released on 3rd April 2017 and will be available across all digital platforms, as well as physical CD. The release will also be supported by numerous tour dates. Please visit the band’s Facebook page or official website for details.
http://www.nationalrockreview.com/album-reviews/bad-habit-beth-blade-beautiful-disasters
METALVILLE
BETH BLADE & THE BEAUTIFUL DISASTERS 'Bad Habit' (Independent 2017)
Stick-it-to-ya style hard rock n'roll with sassy punk attitude seems to be one style that refuses to take a seat at the back. Cardiff quintet Beth Blade and The Beautiful Disasters don't even have to be tested on that as the two-part opening assault of ''Hell Yeah' and the title track of this debut album marauds your senses. Set against uptempo guitars, singer Beth 'Blade' McDonald's strong sonorous range sends it towards a mainstream hole without losing the menace. Strictly not to mislead one into expecting a one-trick pony in this stable, they pack a lot of pleasant surprises into thirty five minutes. The smooth driving grunge of 'Beautiful Disease' and the Deep Purple blues grit of 'Down and Dirty' to the also seventies drenched 'Hell In High Heels' are live show stealers as much as sleazy speed rockers 'This Bitch Bites' and 'Legends Never Die'. Lying beneath some blistery old school lead solos by guitarist Craig Manning, these ten mean-arsed tunes are concocted with the intent of shooting spikes at anybody who dare stand in the way. I should scarcely need to warn people expecting deep though provoking picturesque lyrics to look away, as injecting their equally identical levels of attitude into power ballad-oriented cuts 'Poster Girl For Pain' and 'Angel With a Dirty Face' is just the tip of the iceberg for this intense young British mob. Beware (of not buying.)!!! 9.5/10 (Dave Attrill)
RECOMMENDED IF YOU LIKE: Blondie, Evanescence, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, Speedway
METAL TEMPLE
“Bad Habit”, as I previously mentioned is what I had hoped for from this band. But even then, it’s more than that. It’s powerful, emotional, passionate, dirty, and raw. It’s everything rock n roll should be, and I really hope that BETH BLADE AND THE BEAUTFUL DISASTERS get a hell of a lot of attention in the future. They should definitely be proud of themselves here, and if you are a fan of old school rock n roll, or newer bands such as the previously mentioned HALESTORM, you should absolutely check them out.
Songwriting:10/10
Originalty:8/10
Memorability:10/10
Production:9/10
http://www.metal-temple.com/site/catalogues/entry/reviews/cd_3/b_2/beth-blade-and-the.htm
BATTLEHELM
The first time I saw a photo of BETH BLADE I immediately came to think of The Great Kat. But thankfully that image in my mind was quickly replaced by more pleasant images of Lita Ford and Joan Jett. I have great expectations of this being something along the lines of Crucified Barbara and those kind of bands. This is party music. My kind of party music. There is nothing like a really fat groove. A groove that you feel all the way to your spine. “Bad Habit” has that groove. This is the kind of hardrock that puts a smile on your face. The kind you want to dance all night to. The kind you don’t want to ever stop. And that to me is what music should be all about; an escape from everyday life. And this is just that. 4/5
http://battlehelm.com/reviews/beth-blade-the-beautiful-disasters-bad-habit/
MAXIMUM VOLUME MUSIC
‘Hell Yeah’ opens the album and sets the tone for what is to follow. Next up is the title track and it’s a belter. ‘Beautiful Disease’ rocks even more and this is the first of several tracks that reminded me of the Wilson sisters and Heart. It’s heavy rock for sure but with a commercial sheen and a chorus that implants itself straightaway. ‘Down And Dirty’ completes a hard rocking opening four tracks before we get one of the albums best songs. ‘Poster Girl For Pain’ is a slower song that can stand beside Heart’s biggest hits it’s that good. ‘This Bitch Bites’ gets back to business and is as good as the title suggests and ‘Hell In High Heels’ is more of the same. A cowbell announces the start of ‘If You’re Ready To Rock’ and it’s exactly what you’d expect. Lyrically it’s probably the weakest song here but it’s likely to be one of their most popular live numbers. ‘Angel With A Dirty Face’ is the second track on the album where things slow down a bit and yet again it could be Heart circa their 80’s heyday. A strong vocal performance does justice to a great song and I’m sure we will be hearing this played on Planet Rock over the coming months. Album closer is ‘Legends Never Die’ (I’m not sure that’s true after the past twelve months) and it’s a fitting way to end. 9/10
http://www.maximumvolumemusic.com/reviewbeth-blade-natural-disasters-bad-habit-2017/
DEVILSGATE MEDIA
‘Hell In High Heels’ has a fantastic old school classic rock vibe throughout. Thin Lizzy-esque guitars perfectly highlight just how influential Lizzy still are. ‘If You’re Ready To Rock’ is Blade’s tip of the hat to Kiss. It’s simplistic, it’s a party anthem complete with handclaps, it does what it says on the tin. ‘Angel With A Dirty Face’ is a massive power ballad, which, along with ‘Poster Girl For Pain’, ‘Bad Habit’ and ‘Beautiful Disease’ shows great lyrical promise for Beth Blade’s future. ‘Legends Never Die’ is an unashamed celebration of everything rock n’ roll, Blade telling the tale of how she discovered this thing called rock. It’s infectious and from the heart. How can you not raise the horns to lyrics like “Marshall stack turned up to 11”? Pay attention, and you’ll hear name checks to Queen, Kiss, Motörhead, and Van Halen, to name just a few. A fitting way to end the album. ‘Bad Habit’ has a few rough edges, which can only be expected on a debut album. Given time, and what can be learned through experience, the future is looking rosy for Beth Blade and The Beautiful Disasters.
http://devilsgatemedia.com/review-beth-blade-bad-habit/
AVENOCTUM
‘Hell Yeah’ is a cliché filled rocking anthem, pretty cool, pretty damn fine for a live gig and ‘Down and Dirty’ talks about someone’s perfect woman I reckon! Again, a strong rocking tune. The songs are quite simple, but the delivery is very good, strong, effortless, simply an enjoyable ride 8/10
http://www.avenoctum.com/2017/03/beth-blade-the-beautiful-disasters-bad-habit-sr/
FRAME MUSIC
Beth Blade is a strong vocalist, her band is a tight unit, and they create energetic and vibrant slices of dirty, old school hard rock with a strong feeling of professionalism throughout. They come across as an experienced band, and sound like they have been at it for a wee bit longer than what is actually the case. 7/10
http://framemusic.net/2017/03/05/beth-blade-and-the-beautiful-disasters-bad-habit-2017/
ALL ABOUT THE ROCK
'Bad Habit is full of grit, a total fuck you attitude, a more mature writing style (but still have tongue in cheek lyrics) & a lot more self-assured'
http://allabouttherock.co.uk/beth-blade-the-beautiful-disasters-bad-habit/
NOIZZE
'It is great to see these guys hungry to push forward. Leaping from success to success, BBATBD have made a bold move to make this album but it isn't just good, it's an incredible first effort surpassing all expectations for any band's debut let alone an unsigned local rock band.'
http://www.noizze.co.uk/single-post/2017/01/11/Beth-Blade-and-The-Beautiful-Disasters-Bad-Habit---Album-Review
METAL RULES
'Production is big with guitar and drums really locking into a groove with the bass pedal having more of a swing than a lot of modern bands can do Adding a cowbell into a song without sounding cheesy or out of place is harder to do than people think, but the simple cowbell intros really work here. Beth Blade sings with the confidence of a football team who are on a roll after 6 wins in a row.'
http://www.metal-rules.com/review/viewreview.php?month=January&year=2017&pos=4
LIVE REVIEWS
METAL GODS MELTDOWN
'Next we had Beth Blade and the Beautiful Disasters, all the way from Cardiff , they have been on the road supporting Marco Mendoza’s tour in the UK. Well to say we were blown away is an understatement as the Red Haired Vixen Beth ,and her Disasters launched into “Hell Yeah” the room stood transfixed taken aback, enthralled by these Cardiff rockers enthusiasm and Metal verve, fuck, this is the best up and coming band we have seen in many a year they totally rocked Bannermans, the raunchy “Kisses” had me personally spellbound as the band weaved their magic, they commanded and rocked the small stage. '
http://www.themetgodsmeltdown.com/marco-mendoza-edinburgh-2016
ALL ABOUT THE ROCK
As for Beth, she shines almost as much as the light does from her mirror guitar. Her voice is something to behold live & can wail with the best of them.
There are no egos in this band. Each member has their own space in the music to individually shine as well as still come together as a strong unit.
http://allabouttherock.co.uk/beth-blade-the-fabulous-disasters-edinburgh-gig-review/
SOUNDINFATUATION BLOG
'The live sound of Beth Blade and the Beautiful Disasters is a blend of classic rock and metal, with the vocalist’s ability to summon a soaring note as well as a rough rasp. Although drawing on multiple influences, their sound has a personality of its own.'
https://soundinfatuation.wordpress.com/2015/04/09/interview-with-beth-blade/
SICK LIKE THIS E.P
MUSICPEDIA OF METAL
'From the heavyweight riffs, to Beth's husky vocals. At six songs long it gives you an incite into what to expect with Forbidden Hearts kicking things off on a song you can imagine Lzzy singing in an arena, the filthy title track is dirtier than a fondle on Chippy Lane with a sledgehammer riff and Beth taking charge of an unnamed lover. This is unsophisticated rock and roll that shoots from the hip melding late 80's with late naughties rock, albeit refreshingly from a female perspective'
http://musipediaofmetal.blogspot.co.uk/2016/02/reviews-mantra-vega-kiama-beth-blade.html
NOIZZE
'Their latest EP 'Sick Like This' brings the best in modern hard rock fused with poweful female vocals to lead. The band have done an amazing job creating an EP that demonstrates their ability to take the genre and put their own spin on it.'
http://noizzeuk.blogspot.co.uk/2016/02/beth-blade-beautiful-disasters-sick-like-this.html
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Credit to Steve Upham
