Review Summary: They republish their debut album Perhaps I Suppose adding some original demo track. Amazing album of the best Melodic Punk Rock Band EVER....
Genre:
emo/pop punk, melodic hardcore
Recorded:
Love Juice Labs - Riverside, California, U.S.A.
They are from:
Rancho Cucamonga, California, U.S.A.
Line-up:
Scott Sellers (vocals, guitar)
Clark "C-Doe" Domae (lead guitar, back up vocals)
Jon Berry (bass, back up vocals)
Mike Jimenez (drums)
Official Web site
www.rufiomusic.com
Rufio - Perhaps, I Suppose... Deluxe Edition
(The Militia Group, 2005)
Before "MCMLXXXV" and "The Comfort Of Home" Rufio came out with "Perhaps I Suppose..." (label: The Militia Group").Today that album have sold over 100 000 copies and it's considered as an important melodic hardcore CD of the last years. With the next albums Rufio had grown up as musicians, sometimes changing their style, showing us their incredible skill.
Four years later "The Militia Group" decided to do homage to Rufio, republishing their debut album in a special edition with some original demo.
This "Deluxe Edition" has some differences with the original version.
In first I have to say that all the 15 tracks have been remastered, to make better the original sound (in the original album they didn't have a great budget). Moreover the tracklist had been extended.
Now we have 20 songs: the original 15 tracks + 5 demos ("Above Me", "Road To Recovery", "One Slowdance", "Just A Memory" , "Save The World"). These songs was released in their EP and after was republished in their first album ("Perhaps I Suppose...)
These original demos don't have a lot of differences with the tracks that we know, I think the demos are a little bit worst than the other. In fact vocals are awful, sometimes instruments too (like in One Slowdance).
So this is my rating song by song:
Above Me 5 / 5 - Original Demo version: 5 / 5
Still 5 / 5
One Slowdance 4.5 / 5 - Original Demo version: 3.5 / 5
In My Eyes 4.5 / 5
She Cries 5 / 5
Dip*** 5 / 5
Just A Memory 4 / 5 -Original Demo version: 4 / 5
Face the Truth 5 / 5
Raining In September 4 / 5
Road To recovery 4 / 5 - Original Demo version: 4 / 5
Stop Whining 5 / 5
Selfishness 3.5 / 5
Tears 5 / 5
Save The World 4.5 / 5 - Original Demo version: 4.5 / 5
The Wrath 5 / 5
Now I want to analyse instuments part and line up's skills:
VOCALS: 8.5 / 10
Scott Sellers has a great voice, perfect for a punk melodic band. He can sing high notes with no problem. In live show he is pretty good.
The back up vocals by Jon Berry and C-Doe, are pretty amazing, especially in the chorus. Unfortunately Rufio don't use scream vocals ( i love scream :D) except for "Tears". I have to say that in live performance the back up vocals are sick... I have seen Rufio at Warped Tour 2003 and when they played " Above Me" I wanted to kill myself...
GUITAR: 10 / 10
Scott Sellers and C-Doe are the best melodic punk rock guitarists I' ve ever heard. Above Me, Dip***, Stop Whining, Still and above all The Wrath ( a great instrumental metal song whit a superb solo) are the proof that they are not like Tom Delonge (
blink-182) or
Millencolin's guitarist, they can use pall mute, they can do amazing fast intro (Above Me, Stop Whining), and solos.
BASS: 9 / 10
Jon Berry is an awesome bassist. He don't do amazing solos like Matt Freeman (
Rancid) but in a lot of songs you can hear him doing a great work (Above Me' outro, Still' intro, Stop Whining, Road To Recovery...). When I started to play bass I tried to do some of Rufio's songs, in first I found a lot of difficulty...
Jon Berry's best works consistist in fast scales. He' s very important for the band because his work give to their songs speed (Still) and sometimes tranquillity (One Slowdance).
DRUMS: 9 / 10
Mike Jimenez is a great punk drummer. I compare him with Travis (
Blink-182' drummer, the only good musician in that band). I love Rufio' s drum's work. Fast punk rock lines are alternated with good slower parts. I think that his best work on this album is "Dip***" but "The Wrath", " Above Me", "Still" are amazing too.
PROS:
- Amazing instruments parts
- Good vocals
- They aren't another banal pop punk band
CONS:
- Not very good to write lyrics (except for "In My Eyes": "You're gracefull, your grace falls down around me in my eyes... You're lovely, your love leaves so easily in my eyes.."
I love this band, I love this album so:
OVERALL 5 / 5
