Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Band of the Week #2 - Rise Against

History:
Chicago’s Punk Rock band Rise Against is this week’s band of the week! They released their debut album, The Unraveling, in 2001 and got signed to Fat Wreck Chords. I would say they got their first big break with their follow up release in 2003, Revolutions Per Minute. This album definitely put them in a good position to gain exposure in the underground punk rock scene they were part of. It is a good record and it shows what they were made of. RPM got the attention of DreamWorks Records, a major label who signed them in late 2003. After a record label takeover on Universal Music Group, Rise Against was signed to Geffen Records and released their first album on a major label in 2004, Siren Songs Of The Counter Culture. With an immensely heavy opening track like State of the Union and supporting tracks such as Life Less Frightening and Paper Wings, Siren Songs Of The Counter Culture quickly became a hit, although it wasn’t as heavy and chunky as RPM was for fans. They thought Rise Against was changing for the worst, but their follow up albums The Sufferer and the Witness, and Appeal To Reason, and Endgame  show that they are able to blend the punk rock feel that old Rise Against fans fell in love with, and blend in melody and harmonies that make Rise Against such a fantastic band.

My Thoughts:
The first song I heard by them was “The Strength to Go On”, but the first memory I have of Rise Against is listening to Paper Wings and hearing the bridge. The song overall was so fast but the lead guitar played a riff that fit perfectly over the punk track, while still maintaining originality. I checked out some more of their songs such as Life Less Frightening, Drones, Behind Closed Doors, and Audience of One. All the tracks were amazing and inspiring in their own way. I picked up their discography from a friend and never looked back. To me, Rise Against has always been a band that stands up for what they believe in and sound amazing doing it. 

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