Containing no drums whatsoever, Tim surprisingly pulls off the vocals superbly as he did on the best track from the previous album, ‘Swing Life Away’. As does track 11 ‘Roadside’, which is a dark & heartfelt ballad which is a duet with a female vocalist. It may not be anywhere near the best track here, but it is pretty good and successfully delivers some variety. Yet, it works well to emphasize what is an effectively melodic chorus. Track 8 ‘The Approaching Curve’ is experimental in the fact it includes spoken-word verses, something you would not expect from this group. While they are not in abundance, another reason to like this album so much is a couple of gambles taken by the band, both of which come off to varying degrees.
Elsewhere, the track is another highlight as it has a successful slow verse/quicker chorus dynamic and an involving guitar solo in the mid-section. Comparable, but better than, ‘Life Less Frightening’ from ‘Siren Song…’, the chorus pleads “Don’t hold me up now. Take 2nd single ‘Prayer of the Refugee’ as a case in point. Once more, the lyrics contained on this album are extremely effective and one of the reasons for this is because they are simple and to the point. In this song, Tim repeats his request for a “simple life” as he did on the previous album. It’s difficult not to shout along with lead singer Tim McIlrath during this track and even that has to be done with volume! Later, track 7 ‘Drones’ practically attempts to replicate the formula and that is not a bad thing at all. But it is an effective method of setting up one of the catchiest choruses of any song in the past few years. First single ‘Ready To Fall is phenomenal with its controlled verses leading into a screamingly intense bridge that initially seems out of place. If anything, I would have preferred if they were kept shorter, a’la track 4 ‘Bricks’ which only lasts 90 seconds and is a frenetic interlude of sorts.įear not though as pretty much everything on the album is excellent. They are decent enough, but pale into insignificance compared to what is about to follow. Strangely enough, the opening 1-2 punch delivered here is fairly similar to that delivered on their previous album as both ‘Chamber The Cartridge’ and ‘Injection’ are rampaging punk rockers. Rise Against keep the consistency here, but remedy the individually memorable songs weakness multiple times over. What that album didn’t have was a number of individually memorable songs, as it was more an even and consistent effort. I liked ‘Siren Song…’ though as it seemed to successfully blur the lines of punk, hardcore and surprisingly accessible rock. Conclusion: Rise Against’s 4th album ‘The Sufferer and The Witness’ rates a perfect 5 due to criteria #2.Īs I mentioned in my review of Rise Against’s previous album ‘Siren Song of the Counter Culture’ (rated 4), Punk is not a genre which has struck a huge chord with me over the years.
My conclusion was that I would rate no album a perfect 5 unless I relaxed the rules a little. Then there are those that had many memorable tracks, yet had a couple of ordinary songs as well. There are albums I know which contain no filler, but have only a couple of standout tracks. I attempted to think of an album that had both and I struggled. Two factors readily come to mind: (1) Not one filler song and (2) Many standout tracks. I have often questioned myself on what would constitute a 5 star album. Following the first few listens, I rated this album 4 out of 5. It is an honest one that will hopefully significantly underline and strengthen some of the points I am about to make in this review. With many highlights, Rise Against have furthered all facets of their music to become a little more mainstream without selling out their origins. Review Summary: Sensational album which delivers energetic, passionate & accessible punk rock.
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