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Roses Are Red’s previous full-length, Conversations was a semi-interesting release that sounded fresh but was hurt by a majority of the songs running together. Their followup, What Became of Me, has started to gather a lot of hype, with AP claiming it as one of the ‘Most Anticipated Releases’ of 2006. So with all the hype going into this release, is it really worth it?

Hell yes.

I didn’t expect to be blown away by What Became of Me. The opening track "These Days" comes out of the gates with a strong mix of catchy rock verses and killer choruses with unforgettable sing-alongs. The guitar work by Tom Zenns and Shaun Murphy, which is a mix of distorted rock guitars infused with a truckload of hooks, is the perfect backdrop for Vincent Minervino's vocals. Minervino’s emotion throughout the album is dead on and he easily hits every note every time.

"Failure" may be one of the best songs I’ve heard this year. The song is absolutely loaded with hooks and the lyrics are something I can easily relate to: "I feel this pressure weighing down, weighing down on me / I can't complete a thought, it's hard to breathe, it keeps me awake / I'm walking fearfully through every day, through every place, but I I just can not turn away / Failing in conversation, but I wanted you to show me."

On "Giving It All Tonight," Roses Are Red sound like what Matchbook Romance should have sounded like on their last album if they hadn’t abandoned their solid foundation to create one of the year’s dullest releases. This song is easily one that I can guarantee will get written down in someone’s journal, as once again the lyrics are easy to relate to and are top notch. “The Last Time" is the standout track, with the outstanding emotional singing of "so, so long my wishing well / you found me in this same hell / so, so long my sweetest day / you take the pain away" leading into the solo during the bridge. The rest of the album continues to blend in emotional lyrics with loads of hooks and even features some keys, acoustic guitars and strings to keep it fresh.

Roses Are Red’s second full-length on Trustkill Records is one hell of a surprise and easily one of the year’s best in this genre. Brian McTernan’s production here is right on the money and lets Roses Are Red fully blossom into their best form. What Became of Me is one of the catchiest releases of the year and something that will easily relate to the kids today.

Here’s to Roses Are Red becoming the next big thing.



People who liked this also liked:
Fall Out Boy - From Under The Cork TreeDead Hearts - Bitter VersesTwelve Tribes - Midwest PandemicSpitalfield - Better Than Knowing Where You AreSet Your Goals - Mutiny!Sinking Ships - DisconnectingConverge - No HeroesPlus 44 - When Your Heart Stops BeatingPropagandhi - Potemkin City LimitsThe Briefs - Steal Yer Heart



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    Posted by Anonymous on Monday, June 26, 2006 at 7:16 PM (EDT)
    My Score:

    "Jesus-freak-mall-core is not your friend."

    Best fucking thing I've heard in ages. You are my hero.

    -opivy

    Posted by GreenVandal on 2006-06-26 00:16:01
    My Score:

    Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha

    Posted by benz on 2006-06-25 14:52:43

    I listened to their flash music player. Maybe not worthy of that high a score, but it's definetly solid pop-rock. Which is surprising since Trustkill is the worst label out there. But then again I won't listen to this after today.

    Also, my brother got the new Underoath album and has been listening non-stop. I'm not a fan of them, but the first track seriously sounds like Refused in the beginning. I'd say they've made improvements.

    -benz

    Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, June 25, 2006 at 1:11 PM (EDT)

    i like the new underoath album.. i didn't see that coming. they're still not as good as dinosaurs and evolution though.

    Posted by steveman on 2006-06-24 19:42:34

    Trustkill bands need to have thick skin. It comes with the territory of being on a label with a bunch of horrid bands.

    Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, June 24, 2006 at 7:37 PM (EDT)

    I don't understand why people with great music taste are all creaming over Underoath, as if they're really individual and total trailblazers.

    Jesus-freak-mall-core is not your friend.

    Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, June 24, 2006 at 4:14 PM (EDT)

    one of the most cliche trend-of-the-moment bands i've ever heard.

    their Smashing Pumpkins cover isnt that bad though.

    Posted by crazytoledo on 2006-06-24 13:25:38

    The new Underoath album is horribly overrated.

    Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, June 24, 2006 at 11:34 AM (EDT)

    who cares about this band there totally going to break up i hear they only sold like 500 copies first week. and they're not even on tour. my friends played there cd release show and said they were mad that no one showed up. I've seen them play here in canada a lot and they are always horrible and cocky. plus last time i say them here the live show was way boring and they all looked lke they gained 30 pounds. This record sucks, the band sucks, they will all break up and get jobs at the mall.

    go buy the new underoath record instead!!

    Posted by TahoeJeff on 2006-06-24 07:23:00

    I think I saw this band open for Millencolin. The only reason I remember is because I thought they sucked.

    Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, June 24, 2006 at 3:44 AM (EDT)

    Fuck this band

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, June 23, 2006 at 10:16 PM (EDT)

    I happen to like this band very much. At first listen I wasn't sure if I was diggin' the album, but I listened again and I absolutely loved it the second time around.
    People do need to get lives and not bash on others so much for their opinion, or be so harsh as to say "this band needs to die" or "FUCK THIS BAND" thats disrespectful to not only the fans, but especially the band itself.

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, June 23, 2006 at 7:44 PM (EDT)

    Baby Jesus is crying.

    Posted by skolarx on 2006-06-23 15:45:15

    because i've been actually made to feel bad i feel i should post this.

    comments about brad having the right look were posted in his old band's myspace blog (befroe i go) which is still up, so i didn't make that part up. was it sour grapes? yeah most likely, the band was doing very well locally and the singer walked out on them, i can imagine that would be a bit upsetting and you would talk bad about the desision if you were effected by it.

    the guy who contacted me from the band said the they guys who were overing into the bands image were kicked out of the band for not wanting to further the bands sound. no clue if that is true but he says it is, and honestly the last time they came through detroit they did seem a lot less worried about looking cool on stage.

    i shouldn't have posted those comments earlier, and i'm sorry to the band and anyone else who was possibly offended by the comments.

    Posted by Scruffy on 2006-06-23 13:13:58

    When I saw this in the review list, I knew it was a crazytoledo review.

    Posted by skolarx on 2006-06-23 12:44:15

    eh, i suspose it was a little crude pulling all of that out. should have just said the band does nothing for me, they are bland and unoriginal and left it at that. whatever though, whats done is done. did think that was funny though, don't usually get little attacks like that. i liked how he pulled my age into it too

    Posted by tylerdurden8136 on 2006-06-23 12:35:40

    i just can't believe he took the time to bash you like that.

    someone must be having a bad day.

    Posted by skolarx on 2006-06-23 12:22:58

    anything i posted was out of the mouths of people involved, including brad and his old band. in any event after half the shit posted about that band on here you'd think they would have thicker skin

    Posted by tylerdurden8136 on 2006-06-23 12:19:45

    I just wanna say that you are a serious piece of shit. That stuff you posted on punknews.org about us being "afraid" to change our formula is total horseshit. Brad actually left the band because he wasn't into the new stuff we were writing because it wasn't as "poppy" as the last record.

    Also, we asked Brad to join the band because we had no other options and we wanted to keep touring. He was a friend of the band, and it had nothing to do with his "look."

    Hope it feels good to sit behind your computer a bash a band you know nothing about at 29 years old. Get fucked.

    Vincent * RAR


    hahaha, wow.

    Posted by skolarx on 2006-06-23 11:58:40

    I just wanna say that you are a serious piece of shit. That stuff you posted on punknews.org about us being "afraid" to change our formula is total horseshit. Brad actually left the band because he wasn't into the new stuff we were writing because it wasn't as "poppy" as the last record.

    Also, we asked Brad to join the band because we had no other options and we wanted to keep touring. He was a friend of the band, and it had nothing to do with his "look."

    Hope it feels good to sit behind your computer a bash a band you know nothing about at 29 years old. Get fucked.

    Vincent * RAR

    thought i'd share this

    Posted by socrates on 2006-06-23 11:41:38
    My Score:

    yeah, these quoted lyrics are really deep, meaningful and original. NOT. this band is awful.

    Posted by skolarx on 2006-06-23 11:29:11

    a friend from a local band here in detroit was in this band for a while, picked not because he was an awesome bass player, but because he had the right look. he had never picked up a bass seriously before joining this band. that right there says something.

    also he quit when they started recording because they wanted to remake the first album since it sold well for them and they were afraid to try messing with the formula. add to that the shows i've seen them play i've thought they have been hands down some of the most generic sounding bands i've ever seen...

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, June 23, 2006 at 10:39 AM (EDT)

    From what I gather by reading your "excellant" review is that this album is terrible. The bands name is taken from a nursery ryhme...how original?! And the quoted lyrics sound like every other band making lame music....trying to be poetic and failing miserably. This label sucks terribly.

    Posted by pwfanatic on 2006-06-23 10:17:12

    my predicatble comment involves how i would never pick up this album from how blandly generic the band name is.

    Posted by sirens on 2006-06-23 09:56:02

    hahahaha

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, June 23, 2006 at 9:54 AM (EDT)

    this band is hilarious....what a terrible review

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, June 23, 2006 at 9:23 AM (EDT)

    here's a predictable, but honest comment:

    fuck this band. i'm sure this album doesn't even deserve a 1. and no, i don't need to hear it first to know this. FUCK. THIS. BAND.

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, June 23, 2006 at 6:26 AM (EDT)

    tomzenns is a faggot

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, June 23, 2006 at 3:55 AM (EDT)

    Roses are Red will be the next big thing. But so will the side project of Tom Zenns called White Lie. You might want to check it on myspace. www.myspace.com/whiteliemusic

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, June 23, 2006 at 3:29 AM (EDT)
    My Score:

    Terrible review. You forgot to tell me what they sound like. I consider that small detail important.

    ...evildeadalive

    Posted by theOneTrueBill on 2006-06-23 03:07:33

    CrazyToledo wrote this so I'm just going to assume I won't like it. Our tastes don't match up very well.

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, June 23, 2006 at 2:53 AM (EDT)

    haha trustkill

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, June 23, 2006 at 2:49 AM (EDT)

    boooring

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, June 23, 2006 at 2:14 AM (EDT)

    Predictable comments start......

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, June 23, 2006 at 1:41 AM (EDT)

    I can't tell if this review is supposed to be sarcastic, but I hope it is...