Dead Letters Review

Released: 2003
Genre: Rock
Number Of Tracks: 10

Sound:	10
Lyrics:	10
Impression:	10
Overall rating:	10
Users rating:	8
Comments:	6

overall: 10

Featured review by: UG Team, on august 26, 2003

Sound: // 10

Lyrics and Singing: // 10

Impression: To follow up a monster of an album like "Into" isn't an easy task, but I'm glad to say that The Rasmus has done it with style. "Dead Letters" is the perfect successor, which shows that the band has matured. The sound is a bit heavier, darker and moodier, but the hooks and the melodies are still there. The production has been handled by the swedish "duo" of Mikael Nord Andersson and Martin Hansen again, and they have done a great job. The band will have to cut a few corners live though, as some of the studio arrangements would require a couple of extra players to stand in...

"First Day Of My Life" displays the stregths of the band quite nicely: intresting, contemporary arrangement, excellent vocal melodies and a catchy chorus. The same could be said about most of the other songs - Playground Music shouldn't have trouble finding potential hit singles. Indeed, they've already scored big with "In The Shadows", which was used in a hit movie "Pahat Pojat". The radio stations have been trying hard to play it to death for a few weeks now. Other candidates to end up high in the singles charts include the irresistably catchy "Guilty", the moody "Still Standing" and "First Day Of My Life", to name a few. Basically every song could be a single, maybe except for "Not Like The Other Girls", which is a bit long at almost 6 minutes, and doesn't really work as well as the other songs.

Other songs that I want to mention are "Time To Burn", a song that reminds me a bit of Harem Scarem, "The One I Love" with its' hard-hitting chorus and the beautiful closing number "Funeral Song", not forgetting the powerpop of "Back In The Picture" and "In My Life"...I think I've mentioned them all now!

I know some people are going to complain about the length of the album (10 songs, 39:50), but I won't. I'll take a short album with ten songs of this calibre over a 15-track album with half of it being filler material anyday.

The Finnish press has compared this band to Bon Jovi a lot, a while the similiarities aren't obvious, it could be said that this is the kind of music BJ should - and could - be doing, if they weren't forcefeeding us those second-rate ballads of theirs. This, dear readers, IS the New Breed of Melodic Rock. // 10

overall: 10

Reviewed by: Mikhailo, on august 26, 2003

Sound: // 10

Lyrics and Singing: // 10

Impression: What a pleasure for me to listen to this album!!! I've been waiting two years for this cd.....after their beautiful previous one!

They're from Finland (what a surprise!??)...and for those who don't know this band I may say that play a particular kind of Rock full of energy, melody and melancholy!!! Two years ago I was amazed by this band for their originality to play a modern rock influenced by 80's aor bands, punk rock...but not only.....!!! Their single "In The Shadows" shows the elements of their sound, that is a powerful rock filled with intensity!!!

In my opinion they get the power of Punk-Rock band, the sadness of the Finnish Goth bands and the romanticism of Melodic hard rock bands.

A mixture that could be interesting for all those who appreciate melodies into rock songs. Let's talk about the tracks... "Still standing" shows a very heart-attack refrain that shows the soul of these boys...an unforgettable song that I've been loving since the first listening. I notice their unmistakable style in "In my Life" where the sadness meets the simplicity of the pure rock! The lyrics tell about love, freedom, hopes...I want to underline the ability of the band to tell about romantic love in a speed rock song! The arrangments use many eletronic loops, but eletronic parts are used just to give more expression! There are many unforgettable refrains...try to listen the romantic sadness of "Not like the other Gilrs" or "The first day of my life"...and you'll be involved in their music! The musicians get a good tecnique..in particular the singer that is able to use different kind of tones in order to give more expressiveness to the songs!

A good band, a good cd...Finland, the land of good music! // 10

Comments

[Strokesofgenius]

rasmus are a boring band

[cjgoth11]

This Album is the Album. It's just so... unique. I own a copy and it's definately a CD which I can never get bored of. Well done guys.

[tbarrettl]

I heard In the Shadows on the Local Alternative Station and It

[supea]

Go Finland

[HFR]

I have to get this album
The Rasmus is a great Finnish Band alongside with
HIM and Negative and 69Eyes

[akcbd]

Fantastic album, all the tracks on it are catchy and I never seem to get bored of them!