Dead To Me – Cuban Ballerina – Review

deadtome200Dead To Me

Cuban Ballerina (Fat Wreck Chords)
by Tim Den

Whoa! I was not a One Man Army fan, nor am I a follower of Western Addiction – two bands that the members of Dead To Me trace their origins from – so I didn’t expect Cuban Ballerina to wow me from song one. Similar to the likes of The Loved Ones and The Lawrence Arms, Dead To Me take rawer punk’s ferocious attack and temper it with melodic turns a la Descendents, Misfits, Fifteen, etc., coming up with a hybrid that’s as punchy as it is catchy. Seems like a lot of bands these days are following this path: The days when you had to chose between melodic (NOFX) and heavy (Sick Of It All) are all but over!

Opener “Don’t Lie” boasts the finest use of chromatic descension this side of the sorely missed Hi-Standard, and although the rest of the album isn’t as inventive, it prepares you for a high-energy ride the rest of the way. Although bassist/vocalist Chicken still serves with Western Addiction, Dead To Me are dead set (sorry, couldn’t resist) on touring a ton behind Cuban Ballerina, which means you’ll soon not be able to escape ’em. Fine album by a fine punk band.
(www.fatwreck.com)