Rough Edge: King Rat CD Reviews

KING RAT

"Duct Tape and Dreams" (Fivecore Records; 2005)

Reviewed by Snidermann

"Hey, you can have my horse; don't touch my saddle, asshole." That's the opening line from King Rat’s release, "Duct Tape and Dreams" and, once I heard that, I knew I was in for a real ride. I was not disappointed.

What I got with "Duct Tape and Dreams" was a high octane foray of energy and emotion that was part Ramones and part Lynyrd Skynyrd (and that ain’t bad in any book). The music is fast, fun and full of lyrics about drinking and chicks.

I love punk music and when it is done with real emotion it makes it well worth the effort. This release is well worth your giving it a listen.

For more information, check out http://www.myspace.com/kingrat.

"Beautiful Songs for Ugly People" (Fivecore Records/ Hotshot Locksmith; 2001)

Reviewed by Christopher J. Kelter

King Rat is a punk band and “Beautiful Songs for Ugly People” appears to be an older CD that Rough Edge has received for review.

As I am generally indifferent about punk I am usually left to say things like “the music is energetic” and similar odes. When reviewing CDs by punk bands I struggle to find the right words to describe them. But, perhaps, I recognize that the reality is I simply just don’t care about punk. Ten years of doing this Rough Edge gig has allowed me to appreciate and love all forms of extreme music – save for punk, which is a genre that I simply cannot muster an enthusiasm for. My opinion of punk hasn’t changed one iota – except maybe I can appreciate titans such as Ramones and Green Day simply because even if music didn’t have genre labels there would still be something to like about those two acts.

That having been said, King Rat seems like a fun band to watch in the live setting. And to some extent “Beautiful Songs for Ugly People” seems almost like a live recording. Like most punk bands, King Rat blaze through their songs with the requisite amount of speedy thumping, percussive riffing, and penchant for catchy sing-along melodies.

King Rat and “Beautiful Songs for Ugly People” isn’t quite my cup of tea, but it is enjoyable nonetheless. I’m not certain if King Rat is still a going concern or what new product they may have released since the creation and distribution of this effort.

“Beautiful Songs for Ugly People” was produced by Luke Schmaltz and King Rat.

King Rat: Luke Schmaltz on guitar and vocals, Todd Daigle on bass and backing vocals, and Zeth Pedulla on drums. Additional guitar and vocals by Todd Schlueter.

For more information visit http://www.myspace.com/kingrat.

Rating Guide:

A classic. This record will kick your ass.

Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.

So-so. You've heard better.

Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.

Self explanatory. Just the sight of the cover makes you wanna hurl.

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