One of the best albums I've heard this year
T. A. Summers | North Carolina | 06/09/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Poets of the Fall is a rock band hailing from Finland that I'm very surprised they're not more of a name stateside when it comes to excellent rock music. I've been a fan of the band for about two years, loving both albums they've released (their debut "Signs of Life" and their sophomore effort "Carnival of Rust"), and they've since released their third album "Revolution Roulette".
This album has a heavier collective tonality than their previous albums, showing a strong effort from the band that bests many rock albums released stateside in the past year. From the energetic album opener "More" to the soothing, yet thoughtful "Where Do We Draw the Line", the band radiates such control, punch, and poise in their music. Some of my favorite tracks from this album include "The Ultimate Fling", which alternates from being playful and tongue in cheek to really rocking out in an anthemic way, "Psychosis", the band's heaviest song effort to date, "Revolution Roulette", which does a great job matching the instrumentation to the theme of the song; "Passion Colors Everything" (my personal favorite); and "Clevermind". There really isn't a song on this album that doesn't engage you in some fashion, lyrically as well as tonality wise.
I think Poets fans will love this new effort from the band, and I would urge those who haven't heard of Poets of the Fall to try this and their other albums for an excellent rock band that will be around for years to come. Strong lyrics, great instrumentation, and just well rounded on all levels."
Powerful album that will grow on you
redbossfan | 05/28/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"After the beautiful debut "Signs of Life" and the brilliant follow up "Carnival of Rust", my expectations were high for their third album. With "Revolution Roulette" the Finnish band Poets of the Fall easily meet and even exceed these expectations.
The first two albums are softer, quieter than this one and give the listener time to not only enjoy the beautiful music but pay attention to the amazing lyrics. "Revolution Roulette" is louder and a lot harder overall, without losing quality of the songs.
The album offers an amazing range of music from soft ballads like Where do we draw the line" and Fragile" to strong rock songs like The ultimate Fling" or Psychosis". The style of the band has changed considerably, but remains recognizable. Singer Marko Saaresto manages to make you believe any emotion be it fear in Save me", anger in Revolution Roulette" or doubt as well as the courage to overcome those doubts in Diamonds for tears". The mood of each song is carried by their melodies and the lyrics are pure poetry.
With this album Poets of the Fall prove that it is possible to continuously develop their very own musical style without betraying their roots. Kudos to them for having the guts to go off the beaten path. They may have lost a few fans who expected them to deliver "more of the same", but at the same time they will find new fans who like them for being versatile.
Last but not least I must say that "Revolution Roulette" is not as easily accessible as the other two albums. However, anyone who dares to give it more than one spin will realize that it grows on them with every listen.
Check out:
- Revolution Roulette
- Diamonds for Tears
- Save me"
Track Listings (11) - Disc #1