By Stephen Kasenda
BAD HABIT “Atmosphere” (2011)
BAD HABIT's arrival to the scene in 1989 was pretty late, but hats off to their persistence and still paving their way back in 1995 through “Revolution”, even though the climate wasn’t really friendly for their music. BAD HABIT survived the millennium and return strong with their sixth studio album, 'Atmosphere'. With quality as high as the debut, it even surpasses their previous achievements and clinches a major victory – I think it is their best album to date.
Bax Fehling and Hal Johnston are the masterminds of BAD HABIT. 'Atmosphere' is not only a record full of harmonies and melodies, but it also contains heart-melting ballads as well as excellent musicianship by the band. Every song has hit potential but there are several personal faves that really shine here. 'In The Heat of The Night' is a real big blast (check out the massive chorus, it is super-fantastic). 'Every Time You Cry' and 'Fantasy' are two huge gems too, 'Save Me' is catchy and addictive, and 'Catch Me When I Fall' is also a show-stealer.
'I Wanna Be The One' and 'Angel of Mine' are slower tunes that could be your girlfriend’s favorites. They're poppish and harmless but elegant and also passionate, especially with a stellar vocal delivery by Bax. For an AOR album, the heaviness level of the rhythm section is quite high and you can hear for yourself how the guitars roar loud and high - if they pump up the tempo much faster, this might leap into melodic metal territory.
A superb release and surprisingly after more than 20 spins in a single year, I find myself still longing for more. This is a perfect 100% for me and a runner-up of 2011, highly recommended for fans of Scandinavian MHR/AOR.
Read more of Stephen’s features at MetalMusicArchives.
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