St. Rage - St. Rage

​St. Rage

St. Rage
self-released; 2016

3.4 out of 5

By Ted Rogen
​

The whole genesis of St. Rage is confusing and their self-titled album St Rage is also confusing to say the least.  According to their Bandcamp page either the EP started as a high school project or maybe coincided with the publication of The Gospel According to St Rage. There are also fictional characters I guess. Not sure exactly why they state that the songs really have nothing to do with these fictional characters. Anyway the EP contains four songs which have some potential. The recording quality isn't very good but the songs are. 

I like it when songwriters write songs that are age appropriate. For some reason I can handle an eighteen-year-old singing about high school, feeling like a loser or getting rejected. What I can’t handle is an eighteen-year-old trying to impart his or her wisdom about the cosmos.

​Take for example the opener “Huge Guy in the Mosh Pit.” It’s a short, endearing song. The band gets a little off-time but it’s catchy and fun. She sings, “Huge guy in the mosh pit! / One at every show / Huge guy in the mosh pit! / Please don't crush my toe.” The song is over before you know it but it is a solid show.

“The Drink I Didn't Have Last Night” is the highlight of the four songs. The melodies are top notch whether it's coming from the guitar or the vocals. As with the other songs she sings about being young which you can’t knock. Pretty clever I might add. The vocalist sings, “I’m a punk rock girl / Just turned sixteen / haven’t ever even had a beer / so what’s that line supposed to mean?” 

“Half a Bus Closer to Home” is another solid song. Percussive elements like bongos and tambourine give the song an organic feel. They close with “Loser” which while a decent song gets held back from the recording quality. 

​Karen Eisenbrey seems to be the singer of the group if the info on Bandcamp is not a farce. I think she has some talent as singer. Her delivery is solid and really carried the songs. St. Rage still has a long way to go but they have some potential.

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