Rise Against “The Sufferer The Witness” Album Review

This weeks album review is of “The Sufferer the Witness” by Rise Against and this is the album that really got me into this band. I had never heard of Rise Against until I heard the track “Prayer of the Refugee” on the game Guitar Hero 3 and I decided to give the album a listen and I was not disappointed. If you like rock, this album has thirteen tracks of it, each just as good as the other.br /
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The first track on the album is called “Chamber the Cartridge” and it starts off a little slow and soft for about the first thirty seconds and slowly builds in volume and when it reaches the beginning of the first verse, you are off on a journey of rock for the next forty-five minutes. This track is driven by the guitars and drums, and has a nice hook in the chorus reminiscent of an early The Offspring sound.br /
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“Injection” is the name of the second track and it takes off right where the first track ended. It begins with a simple and infectious guitar riff that is carried throughout the song to the bridge where there is an abrupt change of pace, leaving you rocking to an off-beat syncopation that fits perfectly within the song. The song then ends with a noticeable change in the rhythm of the drums that is lead almost exclusively by the bass drum and has a very cool sound to it.br /
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The third track is called “Ready to Fall” and just by reading the lyrics it seems that this song is about being on the figural edge and ready to commit suicide and being pulled back away from that temptation by someone or something. It is a fun song to listen to with a chorus that is screamed more than it is sung that may have an even deeper or personal meaning than I would ever venture to guess.br /
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The fourth track on the album is called “Bricks” and it is the shortest track on the album at a blistering 1:31 of straight-line rock. Again this track has the feel and the sound of an early The Offspring track both musically and lyrically. There isn’t much to this track but has a wicked three or four second guitar solo to finish the track.br /
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“Under the Knife” is the fifth track on the album and lyrically it seems to carry a message of struggle through a burdened life. Again this track is primarily driven through the guitars and the drums with the main riff being the focal point of the track throughout. The chorus feels a little on the depressing side, and leaves you with a feeling of just giving up on trying.br /
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The sixth track, “Prayer of the Refugee”, is the track that got me to pick up this album and it is one of my favorites. This track was featured on the video game Guitar Hero 3 and was the second single released from the album. This song has some very mellow lyrics during the verses with yet another rocking, screaming chorus that keeps the song rocking along. There is a relatively simple guitar solo about three quarters of the way through that fits nicely in with the overall mellower feel of the track aside from the chorus.br /
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The seventh track “Drones” comes right out of the end of the last track as though carrying a musically driven baton and keeps the album rocking going into the second half. This track has the heaviest feel to it up to this point and the melody of the chorus has a staccato like feel to it that lends its hand well to the track.br /
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“The Approaching Curve” is the eigth track on the album and it starts with a trippy, almost spoken word style of singing, that leads into the chorus that is a slower pace than anything up to this point and it carries a sort of swing feel from the drums and lyrics. It gives the feel of rushing into a figurative curve, and then slowing down as you take it through the imaginative curve, only to gun it again as you exit.br /
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“Worth Dying For” is the ninth track on the album and again carries a feeling of personal struggle and the journey of trying to overcome it. There are phrases of hope scattered throughout the song that are few and far between, yet they resonate well and leave you believing that these struggles can be overcome. Not much stands out from a musical standpoint to me.br /
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The tenth track on the album is called “Behind Closed Doors” and it has one of my favorite guitar riffs on the album in it. The lyrics seem to carry a message of banding together and standing up for what you believe in no matter what the cost. There is also another guitar solo towards the end that is simple, yet effective.br /
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“Roadside” is the eleventh track on the album and it starts off very melodic and slow and compared to the rest of the tracks, is by far the most mellow. Probably the most melodic track on the album, there is a duet part at times with a female singer, as well as a string part including an instrumental section. Very chill song that has the feeling of a “break-up” song; along the lines of the song “Broken” by Seether feat. Amy Lee.br /
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If the “rock baton,” described earlier, were set down for a minute for the last track, it was definately picked up again during the twelfth track “The Good Left Undone”. This is the longest track on the album at 4:11 and although it rocks a little slower than some of the other tracks, it maintains a consistent pace throughout, with a cool solo vocal ending. The track is not quite over yet as it is followed by a few seconds of rest before returning with a prelude that leads into the final track on the album.br /
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The last track on the album is “Survive” and is my favortie track on the album by far and it seems to carry a message that even if what you’ve been through has been hell, it’s how you come through it that really matters. There is a fun little guitar riff during the song that works very well and the bridge also pieces in well with the rest of the track. ”Prayer of the Refugee” is the track that got me listening to this album but “Survive” is the track that has kept me listening to it.br /
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Overall this is a very fun album to listen to with a lot of surprisingly addicting hooks and melodies. Like I had stated before, the overall feel of the album musically sounds like old Offspring and lyrically carries a feeling of near desperation with enough bright spots of hope scattered throughout to give you a feeling of being able to overcome. To anyone who is a fan of The Offspring pre-”Americana”, this album would be a good listen; as well as to anyone who is a fan of the newer rock sound that has manifested over the last few years that has combined power and structure of rock with the grittiness and angst of punk and early alternative.br /
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