BAD ATTITUDE
Z Records ZRCD
Produced by: Dreamhunter
Released: OUT
Relatives: Heavy Bones, Kingdom
GENRE: Hard Rock
OVERALL: 80%
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MelodicRock.com Reviews |
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BAD ATTITUDE Z Records ZRCD Produced by: Dreamhunter Released: OUT Relatives: Heavy Bones, Kingdom GENRE: Hard Rock |
OVERALL: 80%
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Dreamhunter burst onto the European melodic rock scene last year with a smashing debut album that heralded back to the glory days of American stadium hard rock. Not bad for a European band! The guys are back in 2001 with a quick fire second release to hopefully build on the momentum started with their debut. Their own brand of over the top stadium anthems are back in full swing with another collection of great catchy rock n roll. Their debut contained a range of great songs, with a couple in particular standing high over the others. On Bad Attitude, the playing field is a little more even, with the songs complimenting each other, resulting in a generally better flowing record. A couple of songs towards the end may not quite be as catchy as the opening numbers and there isn't a repeat of the killer opening number that was the title track of their debut, but it still kicks ass. The only small point to make is the production problem. This release is by no means as clearly and as crisply produced as the debut. True that it is often hard to record and mix such ambitious songs, but the overall sound of their new album is below that of the debut. Sorry for the lack of a technical definition, but it clearly isn't as sharp as their debut, or as it should have been. | |||
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Bad Attitude kicks off the album with exactly what the songs says - some tough rocking bad attitude! Dreamhunter have their own brand of really moody, brooding melodic rock and they are straight into it here. Can't Face Another Night is as straight forward a rocker as these guys in their pompish ways are capable of. This is a good uptempo hard rocker. City Of Angels is a prime example of why we love these guys. in the tradition of Heavy Bones, there's a smoldering ballad intro leads to a tempo building bridge and a big anthem chorus. Complete with backing vocals, it really is quite over the top and quite brilliant. There is plenty of layers involved in the track, which is where a clearer production would have benefited. Gimmie Your Love Tonight is the first proper ballad of the album and as hoped and expected, it too is filled with a big chorus and even bigger backing and harmony vocals. You're In The Spotlight Tonight is a big hard rocking number in the finest tradition of the LA rock scene circa 1990 - complete with a frantic double kick drum finale. Banging Like A Drum rocks also, but in a more European way. It's fairly laid back compared to some other tracks, but breaks the tempo up nicely. Keep The Fire Burning is another big ballad, not so over the top as Gimmie Your Love Tonight, but another cool track high on sentiment. The backing harmonies are a highlight. The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter is a cool steady mid tempo track with a soft edge and another memorable chorus. It's what you might call a pleasant song - nice hook, nice vocals, leaving a nice happy feeling! Braveheart is a moody uptempo rock track with a cool harder edge. This Time It's For Real is a cool laid back more acoustic driven song. Not an album standout, nor is there a killer chorus, but it's a solid album track. Dangerous Game is a light weight rocker with a good hook - basically another good album track. Money Loves Hate is a darker rock track and one of the records more aggressive numbers. The guitars are cranked an extra notch and a generally more modern rock approach and sound.
| PRODUCTION: 60% | SONGS: 90% | VIBE: 85% | ATTITUDE: 88% | ESSENTIAL FOR: All fans of the debut, fans of moody US anthem rock a la Heavy Bones. |
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DISCOGRAPHY:Kingdom Come . Bad Attitude
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