Review Summary: Medicate a quick rock fix here.
Anybody remember The Hunger Games? Yes, that horrible YA catastrophe of a film (I know it was based off a book series but for the intents and purposes of this review, we will be looking at the movie) that brought to us what Battle Royale already brought us to a much better degree in early 2000s. I know they’re making another one, but I remember the complete eruption in pop culture when the first one came out. Costumes. Mobile games. Constant quotes. Bickering about how the movie did or did not fit with the book and bustling excitement for the next one. And everybody whistling that unmistakably dreary tune with the strange, half-baked Spock hand single to go with it. The term “girl on fire” also really began to float around at this time. Maybe it’s just me, but it seemed like everyone around me was just flippantly throwing that out there. When I found a rock band that unleashed their EP right around the time of the first film, I was enraged and horrified. Why had this fad found its way into rock music? But I was curious, leading me to venture into Girl On Fire’s
Revenge EP.
The Hunger Games was undeniably an attention grabber, I cannot deny that no matter how much I detest the films and books. So then, in the world of heavy, symphonic-tinged rock, does Girl On Fire grab attention? Are any factors working in the group’s favor? Well, for starters, Austin Felder is a delicious blend between Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington (
Hybrid Theory) and Egypt Central’s John Falls. If you enjoy alternative metal, then there’s no doubt that you’ll get hooked on his voice easily. And the band has an undeniable energy. Opener “Revenge” is a fantastic example of this. Its fast pacing, melodic lead guitar line, bashed power chord riffs, and the cries of both “Hey!” and “I’m gonna get my revenge and face this now” hook you into at least having a good time for one track, and the piano-dominated outro leads for some intrigue and a bit of a chance to really soak in the 3:20 of fast-paced rock that hits straight in the face. Furthermore, the band understands chemistry. You don’t fall into the habit of one member showing off the whole time, but you also have enough from each to really be sucked in and enjoy more of an experience than simply an EP. Like RED, the band pays attention to the smaller details, and these are some extremely bright moments as well (the sudden whisper of “suffer” in “Tragic Ending”) is brilliant, as is the interlocking of lead and rhythm guitar lines, and the breakdown in third track “Medicate”. But as a heavy rock vocalist, can our friend in Girl On Fire scream? Absolutely, and he unleashes some throat-shredding stuff in “Medicate.” Speaking of vocals, Felder’’s delivery literally makes next track “Secret Lies”, as do the lyrics.
So the band can write some good stuff. But can they do lyrics? Yes and no. The verses of “Secret Lies” are great, but the line “All our secrets are lies” just seems very lazy. “Tragic Ending” has a nice, mysterious sheen, but “Revenge” strips the bones a little too bare with the main line mentioned above. Also, you’re probably wondering how GOF does in the ballad department. I hope that’s not a burning question for you because the group doesn’t really slow down once, and it is a little disappointing. The last song on the album is easily the most generic and boring here, and maybe replacing it with a nice slowdown and ending the EP that way would’ve left more of an impact.
Five songs here, and four out of five are high quality heavy rockers that will please any fan of the genre. But lyrics are a bit too surface level to really stick. The absence of any sort of “breath of air” track hurts the band pretty badly, because it makes them seem very limited. Not to mention the fact this this is only five songs, four of which are truly worth the listen, so I can’t rate this too highly. But I would say it largely holds its weight and is worth checking out if you want some high-octane rock that’s a bit more diverse than many other obscure bands and even some mainstream ones in the pack.
