Black Roses Review

Released: Sep 29, 2008
Genre: Alternative Rock
Label: Playground Music
Number Of Tracks: 12
Black Roses is the seventh studio album by the Finnish rock band The Rasmus, was released on 29 September 2008 in the UK.

Sound:	8.5
Lyrics:	8.5
Impression:	9
Overall rating:	8.7
Users rating:	8.8
Comments:	19

overall: 9.7

Featured review by: alfahugo, on september 29, 2008

Sound: After one successful production called dead letters, which was directed to the mainstream rock scene, they came with the not-so-famous album called Hide from the sun, which was like one try to step in the metal style, and for the same reason we got a very hard to rate album. That last leaked in variety, and it was like a step to reach a more commercial market, in witch rasmus was not good with, and trying to improve their last album, they merely failed. After 3 years, they got together with the famous producer Desmond Child, to revive the fame they got with the "dead letters" album.

The first song, a little different song from the others that the most of the pople had heard before, introduce you the new rasmus, it is a little review from what is coming. The other songs will begin to grow in you; the most of them are based in really good melodies, which was not the strong part of the songs heard in HFTS. When you hear this album the first question is "are the rasmus a respectable band? Or, just another one.

Well, you have the big selling monster called Desmond child, plus the style of the rasmus in each song, and you got a very general likeable album, for both, the fans, and the non fans. The professional melodies, the great chorus are well developed, and the variety on styles and between song and song are very good (in difference from HFTS)

If the thing you want to hear is, at which album this one sounds like, I will give you my personal opinion, You got a combination of Dead letters lyrics and style (which is very good, the laury vocals still good enough, and their lyrics still very interesting) plus "Into" which in my opinions is a very good album full of four or five very likeable songs.

The album is very commercial, but, in a different style, they sound very good, and the best of all, they sound very different, they sound original. The development of the integrants still there, But I think the improvement on the guitar (with some very small solos) is approaching for a more professional style.

Next I will enlist you the song and my perspective about them:

01. Livin' In A World Without You: this song is a good song, not the best of the CD in my opinion, but it is good. It has a good bridge that just remembers you a little to in the shadows and a chorus with a scream familiar too. It is a very likeable song, very different from the others. The use of synthesizer sound all right. If you have heard Into, you will find a certain similarity with Chill. Also, they wanted to get something from their older album, peep, with a little of Rap-like lyrics. Cool song, nothing amazing, but good enough
02. Ten Black Roses: it is very similar to song from their last productions. Here you have a "no fear" song for the album, with best lyrics, cellos in the background and one or two appearances from a keyboard. This is a very energetic song, and it is a very possible single, due to the strength on the lyrics, and the aggresivity on the melodies, which are merely rasmus made. This is not my personal favorite, but the ones who liked HFTS will love it.
03. Ghost Of Love: beginning with a very cool riff, this song was made to attract the attention. It has very cool sequences and bridges, and also, it has a very good chorus. One of my personal favorites. This one is a more like dead letters song. After the second chorus, it has a very good bridge, where you can prove this is a very interesting song. The only problem is that it can sound a little plain for some, but in general, very good song.
04. Justify: this song is inspired in depeche mode. It reminds me to sail away. It has a very emotional lyrics. A soft-rock rhythm, which introduces a gorgeous chorus, the catchiest chorus in the whole album. This song stills pretty epic until the end and it travels into the background with some interesting sound effects. One of the best ballad songs ever created by the rasmus, and this is a great prove that Desmond Child did a good Job. It is very radio friendly, and, one of the possible Singles. One of the best songs, with similitude to their old production song called "liquid", Hands-Down.
05. Your Forgiveness: the interesting in this song is the combination of a new groove never heard in the rasmus. This a very electronic attempt for the rasmus. With a very cool chorus, with a very mysterious keyboard in the background. The lyrics in this song are pretty interesting, because you can interpret them in interesting ways. A regular song, with some very good parts, and which many people will like, but this is not the rasmus you know for sure. This one seems to be from the into album. It is good to hear that in this song you can hear a little solo from Pauli.
06. Run To You: tribute to time to burn, and another song, with a magistral chorus. In the end, this is a very good song that reminds completely to dead letters. This one haves a very cool attempt to do epic solo, but I think, that solo could give more, if it would be created longer(I hope Pauli understand what I mean) the solo begins very good, but it is like cut, well, the song is very very good, and a very good reference for the album. Also, in the end, they finish with a very deep choir singing. One of my favorites, possible single.
07. You Got It Wrong: one example of variety. This songs feels very different from the other songs, and it is more like the into songs you heard time ago. It has a weird part in the chorus, but it is ok. The bridge after the chorus is ok. There is another solo from pauli, very short also, but, giving a little of variety to the song. The riff from the first part it is very good, but it only passes to a regular song.
08. Lost And Lonely: good beginning, good lyrics, a little instrumental part in the end, very strong verses and a very good chorus, keeps you hearing this song for hours. The chorus is epic, the voice before of the chorus suits very well. It is a very well developed song. This one is more like HFTS, with softer guitars, but with the same feeling. In the most of the part, you can hear very interesting transitions, like the "to ease or to erase". A magistral piece of Hide from the sun. It is a shame that hide from the sun hadn’t this quality. Another single, if you like, les radio likeable, but good for the recent Rasmus fan.
09. The Figth: This thing was got from the old albums of the Rasmus. This track has the faster riff of the album, and the chorus seems to be gotten from a movie or another place. It is a very interesting proposition. You will like it or hate it, depending on your opinion. The best part of this song is the end, where you have like a rest, with one of the members singing a very emotional part in falsetto, and finishing with the fast riff accompanied for cellos. Amazing.
10. Dangerous Kind: If you have heard rasmus from the beginning (that means from peep, or playboys, not from dead letters or into) you will recognize this style, which is similar to the past productions. It is one of the more catchy songs, due to the much moved riff from the beginning. It is one of the best songs of the album, and it is very likeably. This one represents the other face of the Rasmus. You will find some of Dead Letters, like "The one I loved". Good song, another of my personal favorites.
11. To Live Forever: A very calm song with a good intro, a sad melody with good lyrics, something similar to funeral song. Not the best from the album, but it is very well developed. A good "good bye" for one of their best productions. The piano sequence of the beginning and the ending, is pretty damm good.

Those are all the songs from the album, where you can see, that the rasmus have raised another rank in the music. The only think a could want, it is more creativity for part of the guitar. This songs with amazing solos... but well, they are the rasmus, and they are showing that they are not just another crappy band. Of course, if you like it or not, depends on your own opinion, but, non fans, will like the new style they call "death pop" and the fans of HFTS, Dead letters, into, ant also the forgotten one from their oldies albums, peep, playboys, and hell of a tester, will find something that will make appear a tear or a smile of melancholy. // 9

Lyrics and Singing: The lyrics in Black roses, are mainly about love letters. They are well developed, and some of the songs really shine thanks to the good lyrics, which is the case of Justify, in "give me a reason why would you want me to live and die, living a lie, you are answer, all that I needed, to justify" and in run to you, with epic chorus. The verses are very well developed, and they have the comfortable touch of the laury composition and vocals, that are very good in this production. Laury is maybe not the best singer around, but it's voice is very really expressing the emotion of the song. He can reach very high notes, and it sounds very well in the most part of the album.

The lyrics have the same style as dead letters, with opposite and similar meanings to the dead letters. The most important thing, the lyrics sounds good with the songs, but there are some parts where you don’t find a relation at all, but they are good enough in general. The most of them sound very epic and constant. The laury lyrics still there, as part of the Rasmus that we all know. // 10

Impression: This album is one of their best productions, maybe the most varied, but the Rasmus style stills there. Te combo with Desmond Child was for good, some people will reclaim because the most of the songs seems more likeable for the most of the people, but in the end, you will find a very good album. The art in the box is good, and, like it or not the new style (blond laury) you will will find a more mature rasmus, beginning to hit stadiums, and call for more attention. This album have not weak songs at all, all is resumed in the personal opinion. Maybe the most important songs are, Justify (believe me, that damm chorus, you will never, never forget it), run to you, lost and lonely, Dangerous Kind is a very high bet, believe it, and ten black roses. The next songs may, Ghost of love, and the fight. If I lost this album, I will search it all over the world, and kill the bastard who stole it. Also, I am getting a copy when this comes out to America (because the one I got, I bought it on e-bay). The best? You decide, It is not a MCR, Metallica, 30 seconds to mars, It is the rasmus, and, they have no comparative, which is the truth, they have their own style. I love it; it is the best album form, since I have all their productions, since peep. // 10

overall: 7.7

Reviewed by: bowdowntomono, on october 20, 2008

Sound: I've been waiting for this album to come out for quite a while now, since I love The Rasmus's previous three albums. Their albums had been getting steadily heavier, but on this release, The Rasmus have changed their direction. The big name producer (Desmond Child) might have been a factor in this, creating a more electronic and effects-driven sound than on the previous release (Hide From The Sun). I personally don't like this style as much, but the catchy riffs, atmospheric gothic rock and emotional singing are still all there, meaning this album still measures up against those from other artists. A choir has also been added in the mix, which is prominent on Ghost Of Love and Run To You, adding a bit more epicness into the mix. From a guitar point of view, I was very impressed with the solos on this album, mainly in Run To You and Your Forgiveness, and I think that Pauli should really expand on this bit of his playing. The use of more keyboards and effects is, once you've got used to it, a great addition to the sound as well. // 8

Lyrics and Singing: The lyrics on this album are fairly standard Rasmus lyrics, dealing mostly with love, death and various other common themes. I don't think that lyrics are really The Rasmus's strong point, but they do suit the music that the rest of the band creates, as they are very atmospheric and easy to remember. I especially like the lyrics to the chorus of Justify ("Give me a reason, Why would you want me to live and die, Living a lie?"). The one point where the lyrics on this album really let the rest of the song down is in the chorus of You Got It Wrong. Here, in the lyric "You got it wrong now, Cause I don't give a", it's quite obvious the next word is meant to be "f--k", but it is replaced by two rather irritating electronic beeps. This kind of ruins the song for me.

Lauri, as always, is a very good singer, and suits the band perfectly. On this album, his voice is much cleaner and more produced than on the previous albums, which is good in some ways, although his voice does lose some of it's emotion. // 7

Impression: Track by track:

01.Livin' In A World Without You: When I heard this as a single, I was worried about how good the album was going to be, although this song is very good, especially the catchy chorus, when the guitar kicks in. This is probably the most electronic song on the album.
02.Ten Black Roses: this title track, of sorts, has a good contrast between the quite effect-heavy, clean verses, and the heavy, distorted chorus. The lyrics aren't all they could be, but a good song.
03.Ghost Of Love: one of my favourites, mainly because of the stomping main riff and chorus, which have so much energy. The choir in the chorus is a nice touch, making it even more sing-a-longable. The bridge is also a fantastic piece of building up.
04.Justify: the first ballad of the album, and another one of my favourites. The acoustic verses build up into a beautiful distorted chorus and bridge, with plenty of emotion on display. The piano parts throughout also add to the atmosphere of the song.
05.Your Forgiveness: this song is quite heavy on production, with the effects-heavy verses and the almost clipped main riff. There are some interesting guitar parts throughout, especially in the solo, which help make the song one of the most memorable on the album.
06.Run To You: My favourite on the album. The simple and heavy main riff is epic, as is the chorus, which is memorable without being repetitive. The solo, however, is the highlight of the song, building up perfectly into an atmospheric bridge. The choir ending the song is also a good touch.
07.You Got It Wrong: probably my least favourite song from the album, partially because of the lyrical problems as mentioned above. The main riff is quite good, but the bridge's melody is too childish, and the guitar solo mostly follows the chorus vocal line.
08.Lost And Lonely: this has a nice joint guitar and string-led main riff, which is then slightly let down by a dull verse. The chorus however, is just as good as the main riff. The acoustic ending with its impressive guitar soloing also adds to the song's appeal.
09.The Fight: the main riff to this is a little odd, and I'm not a huge fan on it or the 'Oh's Lauri adds over the top. The chorus is good in places, although it sounds slightly out of place, and the vocal melody is not the best.
10.Dangerous Kind: this is a pretty poppy song, with quite a lot of effects, especially in the verse. The main riff is almost as swaggering as that of Ghost Of Love, but the chorus is too generic to be great. Not one of my favourites, but could prove a big hit as a single.
11.Live Forever: carrying on the idea of finishing every album with a ballad, this song is much more mellow than any other on the album, being mostly on acoustic guitar and piano. The chorus is memorable and emotive, and the piano sections are beautiful.

Overall, I would say this album is not as good as The Rasmus's previous 3 efforts, but is still up there among my favourite albums of the moment. I kind of like the new sound, though at some times it can be tiresome, and I still prefer their older material, but overall a good album. If it were stolen, I would probably buy it again, but download it this time. // 8

Comments

[mvtan]

The acoustic version of "Livin' In A World Without You" is better than the version in the CD

[Molokian]

I loved The Rasmus, before i started to listen some harder stuff. It is still one of the best finnish rock bands. ( i am from Finland)

[mikko 9119]

yes. i love this band. i've been waiting for some new stuff for a while.

[rokket2005]

I didn't even know they had a new one coming out,, I love everything from Into through Hide from the Sun,, hopefully this doesn't disappoint.

[BTKA]

I meant consider getting this?

Still a major fan of H.I.M. though. :

[Oli-The-Strange]

wow, I didn't know there were 5 other albums other than the one that got popular and the one that followed that xD shows how observant I am!

[tamargoguitar]

I love the rasmus, everything from the earlier stuff to this... I disagree with the reviewer i actually liked hide from the sun

[edflinkinp]

Black Roses completely blew me away.. I was a bit concerned about Desmond Child working with them because I was a little afraid they would lose some of their essence, but they just did all the opposite, Lauri is there with his style and lyrics like always, Pauli is there more than ever, showing how talented he is, I don't know why he didn't step up with his guitar like this before. Aki's drums are just awesome, especially on "Lost And Lonely", and Eero did an amazing job too, everyone was so involved. I also loved the way the added an orchestral touch to some of the songs in this album like "Black Roses" or "The Fight" and "Lost and Lonely", it was awesome. I'm so into this new path they're on, those catchy melodies just won't get out of your head once you listen to Black Roses, listen to "Ghost Of Love" "Dangerous Kind" and "Your Forgiveness" and you'll know what I'm talking about. Unfortunately I've been a fan of TR since Dead Letters and I wish I was there for them sooner, but it's hard to hear (or find) finnish music in Venezuela. Anyway I'm still a very passionate fan of this band and I will follow their work no matter what. TR did not let me down with this and I couldn't be happier. Thank you so much for working so hard on this new "baby" of yours, and I almost feel like it's mine too. Great job The Rasmus!

[edflinkinp]

BTW I disagree with the Reviewer too about HFTS, it's true that Hide From The Sun didn't get that hype that Dead Letters got, but I think it did a pretty damn good job, it's hard to keep up expectations after a massive hit like Dead Letters. I just think the bar was too high and people didn't expect TR changing their style to a something little more "rockier" than DL

[MxGuitar]

HFTS was a good album, specially with songs like Immortal, but im just waiting 4 this album to hit stores down in mexico.

[soulflyV]

Who wrote this review? It's full of terrible spelling mistakes and bad English, not to mention the fact that it doesn't help describe this album at all.

[AndyH]

seems like somebody put this through google translator from their native language.

[bowdowntomono]

This review has made me more hopeful that this album will be as awesome as their last three when I buy it, but it is fairly badly written. Ah well.

[beberasmus]

mmm this is not a review.. this seems to be a comparation between BR, HFTS nad DL... focus on this album please... its not heavier than dead letters, but the riffs are very good, and the lyrics very very very beautiful

[noobboyy]

i got to agree that hide from the sun was quite good. tracks such as immortal and sail away were really wonderful and showed the talent of the band

[lintu3]

I'd hardly even dare to ask if The Rasmus are a respectable band. They are bloody uniqueand I doubt it's healthy to even ask a question such as that.
All of the songs are very emotional, NOT EMO, inspiring and ages away from the Rapcore genre their songs had in their very early years.
The album is not heavier than Hide from the Sun or Dead Letters and nor is it intended to. Before you review do try to read interviews on albums from the band.
I'd have to agree with beberasmus that this isn't really a review. Doesn't really do much more than compare BR, HFTS and DL. Let's not forget that Lauri's name is spelled with an "I" and it looks like you've given English some new grammar rules.

[HeathenChemist]

Firstly I reckon you should give this writer a break... English probably isn't their first language and I think they've done a fine job making it relatively easy to understand....

And not sure if I want to but this, I have all their albums, Into being my favourite, but I can't get it here in Australia so I have to order it from overseas...

[alfahugo]

First of all, I have to say sorry, I didn't realized how bad I am in English, sorry, I am not a native speaker. Second, yeah, you are right, I did too many references on other albums, specially DL and Into, thats due to the opinions in the forum, because in that time, the people was worried for the new sound of the Rasmus. I wanted to explain the similitude between the new sound, and their other sounds and productions, to answer that questions.Still, it still being a pretty good album.Third, yeah, I mess it up, I will have to say, HFTS is a pretty good album, with songs as Sail away, dead promises, and Immortal. I apologize for that. I hope it helped in the end, By the way, I am waiting them to come again to mexico (swine flu messed it up).

[alfahugo]

HeathenChemist wrote:

Firstly I reckon you should give this writer a break... English probably isn't their first language and I think they've done a fine job making it relatively easy to understand....

And not sure if I want to but this, I have all their albums, Into being my favourite, but I can't get it here in Australia so I have to order it from overseas...

Oh, and another thing, If you liked into, you should give it a chance to this album, pretty similar in several aspects to into. My personal favorite is Into, and, for some strange reason, I like a lot Peep, and after those, I love dead letters.