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The reason I bought this album was because of Rise Against's hit song "Give It All". I was eager to buy the CD but wasn't sure that any of the other songs would be any good (Catalyst by New Found Glory taught me that). I bought the album soon after and realized that I was so wrong that it wasn't funny. This album made Rise Against my absolute favorite band. From the very moment I started listening to "State of the Union" I knew that it was going to be great. The music is heavy and very entertaing. The album was flawless in my opinion.
The album starts out with the short but incredible "State of the Union", which is an incredibly heavy, metal-ish song with a pounding rising riff and a fast chorus, and ties in directly with "The First Drop", which is toned down from the opener but with the Green Day-like 4 chord riff this song manages to make a great first impression on the album. Follow "The First Drop" is "Life Less Frightening", which opens with a siren-like guitar riff that is covered by a great bassline which goes into an upbeat, repeating riff. The chorus is really cool, and the lyrics make it even better (A life less frightening/A life less frightening...). Then comes up the first Rise Against song I've ever heard (from Burnout 3). "Paper Wings" starts out with a quiet guitar sample followed by a great, high-pitched riff. The drumming makes this song really effective, with the well-timed fills when Tim is singing the verse. The song continues on for a while, and then breaks out into a great guitar solo. The bass then gets a really good moment to shine in "Blood to Bleed". The bassline is really good in the intro, and sounds really great since it is played throughout all of the verses. The song is a little slower than the previous tracks, and goes really well with "To Them These Streets Belong". The drums are also really effective with awesome bass work in the beginning. The song is slow for about 30 seconds but then comes out with high-paced guitars and drums. The singing is really well done, and the background vocals make the song really effective. "Tip the Scales" is a great song, with a killer guitar riff in front. The bridge is decent, and ties in exactly with the chorus, which is one of the best throughout the entire album (These machines feed on the tears/Of broken lives and dying vain...). "Anywhere but Here" starts out really intensly, with no guitar, drum, or singing intro. The whole band kicks in right from the top. The drumming is extremely effective and fast. The chorus is also awesome (Destination/Anywhere but here...) and demonstrates the great vocal talent of Tim. The song is fast paced, but not as fast as the next song. "Give It All" is the best song on this album. Period. The slow 4-chord sample lures you into a false sense of security, and then the song breaks out into an insanely fast song with everything fitting together like a jigsaw puzzle. Every instrument makes the other sound that much better. The chorus again demonstrates Tim's awesome vocal talent, and the bridge is like the beginning, luring you into a false sense of security (thinking that the song is slowing down). "Give It All" is a masterpiece. Followed by that song is "Dancing for Rain". The song starts out with a little acoustic riff, which then comes out gunning with a really fast song that sounds like "Give It All". The bridge is the same as the opening riff, and again like "Give It All". This song sounds a little like a filler track, except that this filler is really, really good. "Swing Life Away" is an incredibly emotional love song that is played entirely over an acoustic guitar. This song once again demonstrates the incredible vocal talent of Tim. The acoustic guitar is what makes this song really good that blend in perfectly with Tim's vocals. The last song "Rumors of My Demise Have Been Greatly Exaggerated" (you think the title is long enough?). The song starts out with some noise that goes into a big guitar riff. The song is a great close to a great album, but again sounds a little like "Give It All".
That's it! Overall, this album is brilliant. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes heavier music or punk. Feel free to leave your critisism and thank you for reading!
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Album Rating: 4.0
Paragraphs, my friend. Paragraphs.
Great album.
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
Need to work on your reviews a little more. First, paragraphs- writing your review as one giant block of text discourages the reader.
Second, try to flesh out the feel/sound of the album a little more, as the descriptions are a tad general. Creativity is key, so try using metaphors, similes, strong pronouns, etc. in descibing the album and creating interest for the reader.
Also, the review is a little fanboyish. It's a good album imo, but hardly a 5. A few tracks are little weak ("Blood to Bleed", "Anywhere but Here") and though "Swing Life Away" is a good tune, it kinda breaks up the fill of the album in a very abrupt manner. If you really think its a 5, you will have to defend that position and de-bunk any of the proposed arguments against it.
Otherwise solid review, keep it up.
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
Sorry if the review is fanboyish. I'm a really big fan of Rise Against.
Thank's for the advice.
| | | Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off
No possible way its a 5/5, RPM is quite a bit better and even that isnt a 5/5. Also all the subject manor has been covered on other reviews. But you still did a good job.
| | | Album Rating: 5.0
i would actually give every rise against album a 5, just some rpm gets a higher 5 than SSOTCC and The Unraveling. As for the review, you did great, just break it up into paragraphs so people dont get lost, and Dancing For Rain is most definitaly not a filler track, its a very good song. im not a huge fan of swing life away, i mean, i know its a good song, just i cant really get into it because its not rise against, its somebody else if you know what i mean.
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
Revolutions Per Minute this is not, but it remains a fantastic album in its own right.
While I think this genre as a whole is tired, it remains one of the better poli-punk/hardcore releases in the last couple of years, in my opinion. They're a class act.
This Message Edited On 02.23.06
| | | Album Rating: 5.0
your review didnt seem fanboyish, it was one of the better ones i've seen, you kept a steady flow throughout, but, i got lost a couple times just because you didn't break it up into paragraphs. your review style seems to change with every review, and that is awesome
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Yu know, i like these guys, but htey have serious balls releasing swing life away as their first single, because it would misinform ppl of their style of musci
good review
good cd
"dancing for rain" is an amazing song with an extremely catchy chorusThis Message Edited On 03.08.06
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
i was dissapointed when i bought this because i expected it to be another RPM. but i got used to it, i'd give it a 3.5.
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