Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the best albums of 2007, September 13, 2007
I first discovered The Birthday Massacre a few years ago on a Cleopatra Records compilation which featured their song "Video Kid". I was immediately hooked on the band's fusion of punk rock, new wave, and gothic music. Their second album VIOLET became one of my all time favorite albums. Who else could make music so addictively melodic without losing their street credibility? Just The Birthday Massacre.
WALKING WITH STRANGERS is the band's newest effort. The album picks up where VIOLET left off. While on VIOLET there were a couple of tracks that I really wasn't wild about, WALKING WITH STRANGERS is immaculate. I loved every song on the entire album. Every song is chockful of powerpop melodies that will make you want to get up and dance, and soaring vocals by Chibi. The production on the album is perfect. It is clean yet not overly polished. The integrity of the songs are left intact. There is a definite raw element in the band's sound through out the entire album. One of the standout tracks on the album is "Red Stars" which opens up with aggressive guitar riffs reminiscent of some of today's heavy metal bands. It kinda threw me off but Chibi's intoxicating, polished vocals tempers the guitars riffs and creates a nice balance. My other favorite songs includes the infectious "Weekend" and the haunting "Movie". When I first heard "Movie", I totally wasn't expecting to hear a ballad. The song had a nice atmospheric sound which sent chills down my spine.
WALKING WITH STRANGERS is forty-nine minutes long. It left me hungry for more but that is okay with me. The band is doing something right if they leave me wanting more than being bored or dissatisfied with an album that is too long. I rank this album as one of the top five albums of 2007, if not the top of my best of 2007 list. For TBM fans, the wait is over. This album is worth owning.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
All I can say is...wow!, September 12, 2007
Ok so picked up Violet a while ago thinking 'hmm...probably will end up being another want-to-be Evanescence.' Boy was I wrong! Since then, Violet has become the most played CD in my collection and my favorite by far. There is something so haunting and beautiful when Chibi sings those lyrics with the guys playing behind her.
However, Walking With Strangers has taken that title of 'favorite'. This CD is The Birthday Massacre perfection. Exactly what I had been hoping and waiting for in eager anticipation. What I enjoy the most is how each of TBM's songs flow into each other and they clearly know how to set up a disk. Over all they went with a slightly 'darker/deeper' sound (Chibi's vocals are in a deeper range) and it is awesome!
Kill The Lights- 10/10, this song is just lovely! It starts of slow and builds slowly into a one that makes you want to move with the music.
Goodnight- 10/10 Another great song...Chibi's voice is deeper in this song, very different in a good way :) I love the chorus.
Falling Down- 9/10 It's a good song, a great song, but not a particular favorite of mine.
Unfamiliar- 12/10 This is my FAVORITE song on the album, it is soft and sweet yet hard...sends shivers up and down my spine every time I hear it. I love it...can't wait to hear it live.
Red Stars- 10/10 Heard this one leaked by accident...blew me away. It is so different yet so TBM...must have replayed it a good 500 times before the CD released.
Looking Glass- 10/10 Another leaked track I heard before...it is one of their more playful tunes. Bouncy yet still 'TBM' kind of dark...
Science- 10/10 Good song that continues the 'bouncy' side of TBM...
Remember Me- 10/10 Was surprised and ecstatic to find out the did remixes of two older songs, both favorites. This version is just as good as the old one.
To Die For- 11/10 My second favorite song, was my favorite before. This version is actually better than the original! It is deeper and heavier and makes the song better.
Walking With Strangers- 9/10 Another good song, not anything out of the ordinary for TBM. Chibi is a bit higher with her voice a few parts on this song, sounds like an 'older' song.
Weekend- 10/10 This one sounds like it should have been released back in the 80's. Yes I know TBM is full of 80's sound but this one in particular...sounds like it should be old :)
Movie- 10/10 A slow song, beautiful and Chibi is gorgeous here! Her voice just shines. A song you can feel every emotion as she takes you along through the journey.
Over all the CD is just perfect. I would recommend it to everyone and anyone. Forget Evanescence, they are mediocre at best (yes I do listen to Amy and her band btw) but if you want a great female fronted 'rock' band get The Birthday Massacre. They do not disappoint!
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
My most anticipated album release of the year!!, September 11, 2007
A lot of good albums have been released this year, but none have I waited for with an overwhelming mix of anticipation and impatience than this new release by TBM. I first heard TBM summer of 2005, and ever since I have been looking forward to another release. I had picked up Violet just by mere curiosity. I had been listening to a lot of metal/goth like Theatre of Tragedy, Tristania, Sirenia, etc. and wanted something a little more "light-hearted," yet still somewhat dark and mysterious. And that is exactly what I found with TBM.
This is TBM third release and it stays true to their trademark sound. This album could be called Violet Volume 2, but this is in no way a bad thing. The songs on this album are great and original, but the general sound is the same. It seems in the past couple of years, a great deal of my favorite bands have been releasing new albums, I go buy it and play it, and say "Who is this?" Some change their sound for better, some for worse, but sometimes it's nice to buy an album expecting to hear a certain sound you have fallen in love with and that album delivers it. IMO, TBM do not need any "maturing" of their sound or going in a "different direction." If you have listened to Violet and Nothing and Nowhere, you can buy this album with confidence in what you'd expect to hear.
With all that said, the album starts off with Kill The Lights, which the group actually released early this year through MySpace and their webpage. It is a great song and a great sample of what is to come. Goodnight, Falling Down, Looking Glass, Science, Walking with Strangers, and Weekend are the more upbeat portion of the album, while Movie, Remember Me, To Die For, Red Stars and Unfamiliar are the down tempo songs. To Die For was my favorite track from Nothing and Nowhere and I was happy to see it ended up on this album. I had heard a rough mix of Remember Me, and this polished up version is great.
I have tried to find other artists similar to TBM, but let me spare you the trouble by telling you, there are none! If you love TBM, just buy all 3 of their albums and that will be all you need.
Favorite tracks: Looking Glass, Red Stars, Unfamiliar, Falling Down
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