Rise Against - The Unraveling

Rising from their place as one of the lesser known bands on punk rock's foremost label to major label near-stardom in just three years isn't a usual occurrence, and as far as I can recall, no other band on Fat Wreck Chords has taken such a route. Whether or not you can call Rise Against’s move successful is another story, as 2004’s Siren Song of the Counter Culture (Geffen) was a letdown after the indie label finale of Revolutions Per Minute. Having formed out of the ashes of late-90’s Chicagoan acts such as 88 Fingers Louie and Baxter, Rise Against already had a foot in the door and in 2001 released The Unraveling. The aggression of the disc was lost in the two later releases, partially due to the loss of guitarist Dan Precision, and in fact, the group has had a change in that position for each of their three records. Anyway, this debut album was much rougher and darker than any subsequent effort, with Tim McIlrath’s throaty, melodic screams as the definitive aspect. Anthems such as “Six Ways ‘til Sunday” are expected at Rise Against shows, but much of the album has been lost in the live performances in favor of the group’s more pop-oriented side. While I don’t see the point in a re-release after such a short time period, especially since the remastering wasn’t needed; the rougher production suited the band. Besides the two bonus tracks, “Gethesemane,” and “Join the Ranks,” there’s nothing of importance that wasn’t covered four years ago, and though I persist that The Unraveling is by far one of the better melodic hardcore albums of the past few years and is without question Rise Against’s essential album, I would only recommend this to those of you who’ve familiarized yourselves with the more accessible music this band has churned out as of late, for a better appreciation of where they’ve come from. [www.riseagainst.com]