Who are these guys with the screaming guitars of Karl Cochran, master drumming by Bobby Marks, my favorite bass player of all time, Paul Di Leo and the searing vocals of Ed Terry? Well, please welcome RAGE AND BEYOND.
RAGE AND BEYOND released their debut CD “Find What Missing” back in 2006 and since then original guitarist Teddy Rondinelli has moved on and been replaced by Cochran. Originally the 2009 release was supposedly going to be called “Mission Accomplished” instead changing it to “Corporate Nation”. “Corporate Nation” was co-produced by Ed Terry and Karl Cochran and mixed by Kevin Shirley (AEROSMITH, JOURNEY, IRON MADIEN, SLAYER and LED ZEPPELIN).
The disc starts off in fine fashion with “Proposition”, a fun track with some cool VAN HALEN-style guitar licks. The song was fairly good but I really wasn’t sure yet of the direction until I heard “Not Gonna Try” which is a melodic rock ballad where Ed Terry shines. The song has some kick-ass harmonies and some tantalizing mellow guitar solos. I loved this track.
Just listening to Rage & Beyond I hear many different styles to cling onto. Bands like EXTREME, VAN HALEN (SAMMY HAGAR-era) , & AEROSMITH come to mind and an impeccable midsection of Di Leo and Marks. Terry’s vocals brings essential tastes of Steven Tyler, Hagar and even Robert Mason (LYNCH MOB, BIG COCK, WARRANT) with plenty of range.
Another sultry tune is “Desire” that is on the melodic rock side and is simply outstanding. I usually like the heavier tunes but so far the melodic rock songs on “Corporate Nation” blow me away, “Desire” is one heluva phenomenal tune. If you want the truth, when I heard track one “Proposition” which was an ok tune, I thought the CD would just be one of those good fun releases but if you are going to compare that one song to the rest of the CD you would be totally wrong. “Corporate Nation” has depth with a sophisticated approach. The guitar work is amazing, the vocals are purely a dream and what can you say about Marks and Di Leo except masters of their profession. Not sure if many of you had a chance to see Di Leo live, but that guy is a spectacle with his constant energy.
“No Resolution” is a scorching ballad with well-written lyrics and sensitive music that caresses your taste buds. But don’t think for a minute that these guys can’t rock, check out “Media Song” which gives you some bluesy rock that will set you back to take breather.
I feel a bit of LED ZEP with the riffs on “Corporate Nation”; see if you feel the same. It also has a fusion sound with trance like music. RAGE & BEYOND run the gambit even hitting the southern rock blues genre with “Between The Lines”. Hey if AEROSMITH can do it why can’t RAGE & BEYOND?
This is one release you have to check out. Just sit back and give it a listen. Just about every song has something special and you can’t deny the quality. Oh, and before I end I promise not to burn or download this for anyone Pizan!!!! Click bang…..
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Band Lineup:
- Ed Terry - Vocals, Keys
- Karl Cochran - Guitars
- Paul Di Leo - Bass
- Bobby Marks – Drums
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Track Listing:
- Proposition
- Not Gonna Try
- Nice And Easy
- Desire
- Say No More
- No Resolution
- Media Song
- Corporate Nation
- Between The Lines
- What’s Your game
- Cut My Ties
- Tryin’ To Be
- Down To Business
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