Reviewed by Josh Dipple

Sometimes, the best way to open an album is with a song that "sums up" the disk as an overall piece. That seems to have been what Midlands-based group Habbakuk thought when choosing the first track for their debut, 'Spinning In The Air', though in this case it might not quite be the first impression the were going for. The first thing that strikes you about "Waster" is not the impressive musicianship or witty lyrics, but the utterly shoddy production. At a stretch the mix could be described as "raw", but truth be told, through no direct fault of the band, this album sounds bad. Musically speaking, there's some real skill on display, particularly from guitarist Graham Wilson, who provides enormous solos on tracks like "The Gift", though all of his rhythm parts are played through the most dated sounding chorus pedal. 'Spinning In The Air' does display some talent and with a bit of polishing and a decent producer Habbakuk could be a band to be reckoned with, even if they do have a somewhat avant-garde approach to spelling the names of Old Testament prophets.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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