Mean What You Say [Import]

Tooth & Nail rock band Sent By Ravens is back with their sophomore release, Mean What You Say, successfully building off of the foundation laid by their debut, Our Graceful Words. I was never especially impressed with their first album; although I enjoyed most of the songs, only a couple of them really stood out. Mean What You Say definitely improves upon the band's past endeavors and as such, Sent By Ravens delivers a solid second release.

Sent By Ravens waste no time in hitting you hard with the rock as "Prudence" explodes onto the scene. The song lacks any sense of smoothness as it begins and ends rather abruptly, but it's still an enjoyably solid opener. "Listen" follows as another heavy-hitting rocker and is a much stronger song overall. "Rebuild, Release," like "Prudence," begins a little abruptly but quickly gains its momentum with some solid guitar work and ends up being another good track. "Learn From the Night" lands some solid melodic punches while the title track drives home a solid message about the sometimes destructive power of our words.

"However Long It Takes" seems to try too hard to mimic the melodic qualities of "Learn From the Night," and as such it doesn't quite measure up, though it's still a good track. "Need It Today" succeeds with its punchy guitars and drums, while the following piano-led song, "Never Be Enough," is an atmospheric display of the band's softer side, especially highlighting some of lead singer Zach Riner's most poignant vocals. Current single "We're All Liars" brings it back to the relentlessly hard rock, and finally, "Best In Me" closes the album out with another meaningful softer track.

The main issue I have with Mean What You Say is simply its overall lack of flow. As I've already mentioned, some of the songs begin a little too abruptly, especially the blistering "We're All Liars," which, although it is a great song, feels jarring in its place between the album's two softest tracks (which are also very good). The album also ends very quickly with a painfully short running time of 32 minutes. The songs are mostly very good, though, so these issues definitely do not prevent the album from being worth listening to.

Sent By Ravens offer a solid follow-up release with Mean What You Say. Most of the songs are very good, and although it doesn't get through its short running time very smoothly, it's a thoroughly enjoyable and heavy-hitting rock album. If you're into this sort of music or enjoy other similar artists on Tooth & Nail's roster, you should definitely check out Sent By Ravens' latest.

Top Highlights: "Learn From the Night," "Listen," "Mean What You Say"

I already knew I would like the band from the singles I'd heard from both this and the last album, but just never got around to purchasing either one until this album. To say it's one of the best albums I've heard in years probably doesn't even begin to sum it up. Every song on this album is a gem, and it's truly a first for me to have an album in my collection where I've rated 80% of the songs 5/5 stars. Even my favorite groups Chevelle, Red and 30 Seconds to Mars don't have albums with this many 5 star songs on them. My personal favorite has to be "Mean What You Say," which honestly has to be the first time ever that the song which the album is named after ends up being great, much less my favorite song on the album. Many songs remind me of other favorite bands of mine including 30 Seconds to Mars and 10 Years, but provide a more positive message than either of those two bands usually do.

My only complaint is that the album is too short, but honestly I've listened to this over 2 dozen times in the last week alone since I bought it and can't imagine stopping any time soon. Quality over quantity in my book, and this album completely delivers on that mantra!

These guys are getting ready to BLOW UP! I waited anxiously for this release, and boy was it worth it! These guys write great music with great heart to back it up. If you are an existing fan you will LOVE this record. If you are't currently a fan, get ready to become one. Buy it today!!!

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 15 reviews  4.6 out of 5 stars