Album Review - Rise Against

Artist – Rise Against
Album – The Suffer & The Witness

The drum rolls as if in preparation for a cadence, and suddenly the PA clicks on and a public service announcement states those three words: this is noise. That’s how the first track, “Chamber The Cartridge” opens on the new record by Rise Against, The Suffer & The Witness. Well, I am not going to lie; it is noise. But it is damn good noise, and it rarely lets up for the entire forty six minutes of the record. Rise Against did what AFI Should have done. They took the production from Siren Song… and meshed it with the ferocity of Revolutions Per Minute. Where AFI slowed down, Rise Against sped up and got more pissed off, if that is even possible.

The second track on the record, “Injection” is so god damn good it makes me want to smoke crack and kill a hooker. I am actually afraid to listen to this track in my car, as I will undoubtedly receive a blemish on my perfect driving record. Rise Against sounds more like Strung Out than they do AFI, but I am constantly reading otherwise, and this record should help clarify that misunderstanding. Where Siren Song… was pretty well polished and built with standardized hooks, The Suffer… takes a more hard hitting turn, actually taking a step back, which is always nice. The new single “Ready To Fall” is probably about as pop as it gets, and that’s with Tim screaming like Davey Havok wishes he still did.

Those looking for the follow up to “Swing Life Away” don’t waste your time. The only tune they slow down on is “Roadside” and it does not resemble “Swing Life Away” at all. However, the track “The Approaching Curve” is probably the best song I have heard all year. It features segments of spoken word before each section of lyrics, as if to guide us through the story of the song, and it works as well, if not better, than At The Drive-In’s “Invalid Litter Dept.”. So if you’re hoping for less politics and more radio friendliness, you will be disappointed. However, if you were hoping Rise Against kicked it up a notch (coughDavidcough) you will be pleasantly surprised. Especially if your name is coughDavidcough.

8 out o 10
-B

If you like this record, try:

Rise Against – Revolutions Per Minute
Strung Out – Exile In Oblivion
AFI – The Art Of Drowning