Overall, it's a great album, possibly the best album of the year, but it's still not as solid as "Revolutions Per Minute." Tim's best cover was The Killing Tree's version of "Jesus Christ Pose." Sick Of It All isn't even that good of a band. "Built to Last" 7/10: For those fans like me who have to collect every recording, this is a cover of Sick Of It All's "Built to Last" available on the import version. I was wondering why the album had an explicit language warning. "Survive" 10+/10: Just like with "Rumors of My Demise Have Been Greatly Exaggerated," they close with their best track. "The Good Left Undone" 9/10: This song is missing something lyrically, and I can't quite put my finger on it. "Roadside" 5/10: The "Swing Life Away" / "Everchanging" track. "Behind Closed Doors" 10/10: This is what I expect from Rise Against. "Worth Dying For" 7/10: It starts good, and then it just deteriorates. It sounds like somebody reading stream of consciousness poetry with a chorus thrown in. "The Approaching Curve" 5/10: Call this experimental if you must. "Drones" 8/10: The chorus is kind of disappointing. "Prayer of the Refugee" 10/10: A few simple chords get real addictive. It's a good change of pace after "Bricks." "Under the Knife" 9/10: A slightly calmer song. "Bricks" 10/10: They can still play pure punk. "Ready to Fall" 10+/10: From the first chord, you know this song is going to be amazing. "Injection" 9/10: Possibly the follow-up to "Rumors of My Demise Have Been Greatly Exaggerated," but not as good as the original. "Chamber the Cartridge" 10/10: A very good opener, but still not as good as "Black Masks & Gasoline." I had very high expectations for this album, and they were almost met. My friends were talking about the mosh pit for months. Nobody knew who they were and they stole the show. When they opened for the Mad Caddies, I was right in front of Tim's microphone and the stage was a 6 inch raised platform. They are unmatched in their intensity and energy. I've seen them half a dozen times since, and I consider it a shame I haven't seen them more. I first saw them back in 2003 opening for the Mad Caddies and Fat Wreck Chords (ska phase) when they were touring for RPM. IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THEM LIVE.and you're a fan, then you HAVE TO. I hate relegating them to 'fodder' category but you know it's a good album when the worst songs are still awesome. The rest of the songs like Injection and Ready to Fall fall somewhere in the middle, combining the catchy lyrics, quick guitar riffs, and emotional charge that you've come to expect from such an awesome band. Songs like Roadside and the Approaching Curve (this song grows on you hard - one of the least popular songs on Amazon but IMO one of the best on the album) show you their slower, more melodic side. Let a little of that teenage angst out, punch a pillow, whatever. If you want fast riffs, catchy lyrics, and anthem-like-headbanging choruses, songs like Prayer of the Refugee, the Good Left Undone (my favorite song of theirs period) and Behind Closed Doors are for you. I view this is the key album in their transition to the mainstream. It keeps the 'rawness' and emotion in their music, while giving it a polish and tightness not found on previous albums. God, another great album from Rise Against. All of these things demonstrate that Rise Against is drawing from a broader palette than many of its counterparts, one of the reasons it will (indeed, already has) rise above the masses of sound-alike acts vying for the attention of the MySpace generation. Cut from the same savvy cloth as Bad Religion and Black Flag, Rise Against rocks hard during the martial opus opener, "Chamber The Cartridge," the melodic "Injection," which asks us to imagine that Iron Maiden came from sunny California and not some dreary part of London, and "Ready To Fall," which may be one of the greatest anthems of adolescent estrangement since The Who's "Baba O'Riley." The band also isn't afraid of a good hook and scintillating melody ("Under The Knife"), exploring complex emotions ("Roadside"), or unleashing a bit of old-school breakneck fury sans apology ("Brick"). Rise Against returns with a rollicking wallop of an album that further establishes the Chicago-based outfit as one of the great bright hopes for the future of alienation rock. Features the hit single "Ready to Fall." Chicago's Rise Against's 4th album, THE SUFFERER & THE WITNESS, continues to build upon their solid punk foundation, it is a striking collection, with Rise Against using elements from spoken word, expanded balladry, and simply plodding forward with a faster, harder, louder ethic.
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