“Bricks” is much the same as “Chamber the Cartridge” in that it whirls through the speakers in an almost tuneless gallop. The forcedness comes through occasionally on the remainder of the album. It’s not bad, per se, but Rise Against has done much better. It’s not as if Rise Against can’t do those things well, but they come across as phony and forced on this song. The melodic chorus and bridge are truly disappointing. The verses seem to go as fast as they can just for the sake of doing so, and the short pre-chorus is nowhere near as brutal as “State of the Union” or even “Tip the Scales” from their previous album. Could it be that churning out insane, metallic, gut-force hardcore anthems has become a chore for the band? Regardless, they sure don’t do it very well on the opener. Usually not given to instrumentals or building tension, Rise Against chooses to start this album off with a short intro, with the only vocals arriving in the cryptic statement “This… is noise.” The marching drums build up to the blazing-fast “Chamber the Cartridge.” One would hope that after the extended introduction, that we’d get a truly outstanding opener like we got with “State of the Union.” But here Rise Against seems almost half-hearted. As their second major label record, how does this compare?įrom the very beginning we realize that Rise Against has simultaneously changed things up and kept them the same. The band signed onto Geffen Records and proved that they were not going to let success completely overwhelm their art with 2004’s Siren Song of the Counter Culture. The rhythm section snaps like a taut wire under the furious melodies, propelling each song through quick tempo changes and dynamic shifts to an atypical long 3 or 4 minutes (at least for a punk band). Tim McIlrath’s heart-on-sleeve lyrics and vocals can be identified from a mile away as he screams every note with gusto and sincerity. The band’s brash, bouncy guitars rampage through each song like two tigers playfully wrestling. You can pretty much recognize a Rise Against song as soon as it comes on the radio, even if you come in halfway through. Review Summary: Rise Against make another great album, but how long can they keep it up with the constraints of their sound? Regardless, this is an enjoyable listen marred only by a few forced songs and a generally toned-down attack.
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