Saint Asonia Scores Another Success With ‘Extrovert’ EP

Courtesy: Spinefarm Records

Hard rock super group Saint Asonia is keeping itself busy this year, and if the band’s scheduled winter 2023 tour schedule is any indication, it is going to be keeping itself busy into the new year, too. The band’s busy schedule started in July with the release of its debut EP, Introvert through Spinefarm Records. Its release was followed up last week, less than five months later, with the release of its second EP, Extrovert. The band is tentatively scheduled to release both EPs together next month in one complete package, less than two months after the band is scheduled to launch its next tour. Extrovert is another interesting offering from Saint Asonia that will appeal to audiences just as much as its companion record. As with Introvert, Extrovert‘s appeal comes in part through its musical arrangements, which will be discussed shortly. The lyrical themes that accompany the record’s musical content are accessible in their own right, making for just as much appeal. They will be discussed a little later. The record’s sequencing rounds out its most important elements and will also be examined later. Each item noted is key in its own way to the whole of Extrovert. All things considered they make Extrovert one more of this year’s top new EPs.

Extrovert, Saint Asonia’s second EP (and fourth overall studio recording behind the band’s two albums, Saint Asonia (2015) and Flawed Design (2019) ) is another largely successful offering from the band. The record’s success comes in part through its featured musical arrangements, which once are once again just as radio ready as any heavy melodic hard rock song that is run on America’s mainstream active rock stations. Just as in the case of the heavier works featured in Introvert, the arrangements in this EP boast a sound and style that is very similar to that of works from the likes of The Veer Union, Otherwise, and A Killer’s Confession. Even with those comparisons in mind, the songs here still boast their own identity separate from those bands’ works and from other worse that Saint Asonia has already crafted. Even in more contemplative moments, such as in ‘Better Now’ and ‘Over It’ the band still does not pull back but so much, but still manages to translate the emotion in the song’s lyrical theme so well through their musical arrangements without being too schmaltzy at any point. Keeping all of this in mind, the musical content that is featured throughout this EP does plenty in its own right to keep audiences engaged.

While the musical arrangements featured in Extrovert are positive additions to the EP in their own way, they are just part of what makes the record worth hearing. The lyrical themes that accompany the arrangements make for their own appeal. Case in point is the fully accessible theme featured in ‘Over It.’ This song finds front man Adam Gontier (ex-Three Days Grace) singing from the standpoint of a person battling an all too familiar inner battle with himself/herself. The person in this case is battling that sense of depression and doubt of self worth. That is clearly inferred as Goutier sings in the song’s lead verse and chorus, “I’m addicted to the pain that I’ve created for myself/Alone and on the outside/Always trying to be someone else/This weight on my shoulders/Where did I go wrong/My soul is so cold/And I hate what I’ve become/If I don’t find a way is it over/If I don’t blame myself is it gone/All of this time I’ve wasted/Or will I make it out from under this world before it falls/I’m over it all/I’m over it.” This is that clear sense of self doubt that so many people battle daily. Goutier continues the message in the song’s second verse as he sings, “I’ll admit that I’m ashamed/’Cause I’ve been lying to myself/My throne is rusted from the years/Of Living in this hell/I take so much ****/Is this where I belong/My heart is so charred/And I hate what I’ve become.” Yet again here is that inner battle that is so familiar to audiences. It seems quite melancholy on the surface, but on a deeper level, it is a theme that is certain to resonate with plenty of audiences. That is especially the case considering the manner of its delivery.

Another theme that is certain to resonate with audiences comes in Extrovert‘s opener, ‘Devastate.’ In the case of this song, there is a certain level of depth in its own right as The song’s subject seems to be addressing someone who is really his or her own worst enemy. In the process of being his or her own enemy, that person is apparently making others strongly dislike that person. There is even an inference that maybe that overall dislike was caused by addiction. The inference starts in the song’s lead verse and chorus, which state, “Down in the dark/You live on the bottom/You fooled them all/Looks like you got ’em/When all is lost/Who will you follow/When all the same **** will be here tomorrow/You fall for anything/All for nothing/You never cared for anyone at all/Well, I hate every word you say/Even when you breathe/I can’t stand to see you medicate/Fake/It’s all one and the same/Nothing to believe/All you ever do is devastate.” The seeming message is furthered in the song’s second verse, which states, “Nothing to use/End of the bottle/We fooled ’em all/Like a role model/No matter the cost/Beg, steal or borrow/’Cause all the same **** will be here tomorrow.” The message is finalized in the song’s breakdown, during which Goutier sings, “All your lies/Under your disguise/When the weight comes down/You’ll be underground.” Once more, what audiences seem to be getting here overall is that apparent theme of someone addressing another subject who is being fake not only to others but also to himself/herself and the impact thereof. It is not a unique theme, but still welcome and accessible to a wide range of audiences in its own right.

‘Better Now’ is another song that shows the accessibility of Extrovert‘s lyrical themes. In the case of this song, it is clearly that of a broken relationship and the aftermath on at least one side. This is made clear as Goutier sings in the song’s lead verse and chorus, “Look at my face/I hope it haunts you ’till the end/You left me here for dead/when you walked away/How does it taste/To know that you were wrong/And now I get to watch you crawl/All the way back to me/Guess I let you get away with everything/Never called you out on anything/Had your back because you needed me/Now I’m standing here alone/Every time I think about it/You were a perfect mistake/Lesson learned/It was never forever/I can do better/Every time I think about it/Know that you were just in my way/Now I know/It was never forever/I can do better now.” This is unquestionably someone who is angry and deeply hurt by the result of that toxic relationship, yet who is also realizing he or she is better and is in the process of moving forward. It is a theme that will resonate with its own share of listeners. The realizations continue in the song’s second verse, which states, “Look at this place/Scattered with an empty silence/Every scream and every crisis/It stays with me/How can you face yourself/Knowing how you were so evil/Like poison in a needle/And the vein was me.” The overall revelation and reaction here will have such a powerful impact on plenty of listeners. It is just one more example of the importance of this record’s lyrical content. When this theme and the others examined here are considered along with the EP’s other themes, the whole leaves no doubt as to the importance of the record’s lyrical content. When it and the record’s musical content are considered jointly, the whole makes for all the more engagement and entertainment for audiences.

The sequencing of that collective musical and lyrical content makes that engagement and entertainment even stronger. From beginning to end of the 20-minute record, the heaviness and energy barely lets up, even when it does pull back. Those subtle pull backs are expertly placed in the bigger picture of the arrangements. The lyrical themes change up just enough to keep audiences engaged and entertained, too. Clearly plenty of thought and time went into the sequencing, and the result was success there, too. The end result is a positive general effect that is enhanced through the overall content. All things considered, the sequencing and content together make Extrovert another strong addition to Saint Asonia’s catalog.

Extrovert, the latest addition to Saint Asonia’s catalog, is another strong offering from the band. The band’s fourth overall studio recording and second EP, it offers much for audiences to appreciate, beginning with the record’s musical arrangements. The heaviness and energy in each arrangement is once again ready for any active rock radio station. That is especially the case considering how similar the arrangements are in sound and style to so many of the band’s hard rock counterparts. The lyrical themes that accompany the record’s musical arrangements are accessible in their own right, making for even more engagement and entertainment. The sequencing of that overall content rounds out the EP’s most important elements, completing its presentation. Each item examined is important in its own way to the whole of the EP. All things considered they make Extrovert one of the best of this year’s new EPs.

Extrovert is available now through Spinefarm Records. More information on the record is available along with all of Saint Asonia’s latest news at:

Website: https://saintasonia.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/saintasonia

Twitter: https://twitter.com/saintasonia

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