"Feel the Rage" is a new EP from the Galactic Cowboys, containing one remix, one new song, two covers, and two live songs. The remix is of "Feel the Rage," a song from the "Machine Fish" album. It doesn't sound much different at all from the original.
The new song is called "Paradigm Shift," and sounds like something off the first album, with lazy, pulsating guitars and harmonic vocals. It's a good, well-written song, but not something to bang your head to. The first-album persona is my least favorite of the three Galactic Cowboys personae (the other two are their speed-metal and grungy moods, corresponding pretty much to the "Space in Your Face" and "Machine Fish" albums, respectively.)
The first cover is of the KISS song, "I Want You." It's really, really heavy, much heavier than the KISS original, I imagine (I don't listen to weak, commercial crud like KISS). It's a fun, fast song, more mainstream than most of the stuff the progressive-oriented Cowboys have done. There is even a death-metal growl on this song. Not just a weak little snarl, but a full-fledged, exhumed-of-the-grave GROWL. I swear to you.
The next cover is of the Eagles' song "Junior's Farm." If I don't listen to KISS, you can bet your ass I don't listen to the Eagles. Anyway, this song sounds like an early '70s retro thing, and it's pretty weak. I guess it's supposed to be more funny than anything else, but it's not even metal.
Then there are two live songs recorded in Houston, Texas, the band's (and my!) home. The first is "Idle Minds" and the second is "9th of June," both from the "Machine Fish" album. They suffer from the usual defects and irregularities of live concert recordings, but the band at least demonstrates that they can play outside the studio. What really impressed me were the vocals. Ben Huggins belts out some powerful yells.
Like most EPs, "Feel the Rage" is not the best introduction to the band, but for die-hard fans, it's something you'll want to pick up.
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