Bad Company may have had trouble firing off another "Breathe," but
Book of the Bad, a collection of EPs and rare cuts, was very much a push towards speed-compromised darkcore drum'n'bass. Backed by the inverted genre beats of "Miami Flashback" and the wiry, hate-laced atmosphere of "Rodeo," "Grunge 2," and standout "Planet Dust,"
Bad Company's new material foreshadowed pounding bass rolls and serial-killer riffs with the subtle tension of low-budget sci-fi.
Book of the Bad was actually quite good for a stop-gap release, less about becoming the next
Ed Rush than giving drum'n'bass room to grow in a less reliable environment and trying to mirror breakstep's open-door policy towards underground club genres. ~ Dean Carlson