1. Chamber the Cartridge- Starts off the album with some radio type chatter with Chasse's delicate drumming in the background and dives headfirst into an aura of melodic punk madness after a voice enters with "This is noise." Great lyrics and pounding drums. Mcllrath and Barnes are in the zone, as is Principe, and the song opens the album on a fantastic note. 5/5
2. Injection- A masterpiece for Mcllrath. Stellar vocals and rhythm guitar work, and Barnes provides an epic lead piece and driving octave chord riffing. Powerful chorus with good drumming and an underlying bass that really shines. Another mind blowing song. 5/5
3.Ready to Fall- The first single is just as beautiful, driving, and haunting as the first two tracks, but maybe at an even higher level of excellence. Mcllrath demonstrates his incredible goose bump inducing screamo and melodic vocals and commands the song, helping show off his ability as one of the best frontmen in the post hardcore world in 2006. Utterly unstoppable guitar and great bass in the verses. Chorus gives me chills. One of the stand out tracks on the album and a good choice of a single. 5/5
4. Bricks- Breakneck punk speed kicks off with the driving drums from Chris Chasse who sets the pace for the qucik minute-and-a-half song. The song contains alot of brilliance for such a short song and makes its case as a great kick ass political song. 4.5/5
5. Under the Knife- Very mature vocals from Tim Mcllrath. It's a gorgeous song from beginning to end, and the popish hooks are reminescent throughout the song especially in the chorus. Good guitar work, bass, and drums as always. 4.5
6. Prayer of the Refugee- Stand out track right here. The change of pace from the light opening guitar layered with heavy harmony and forceful bass and a great drum beat qucikly shifts to a spine tingler of a chorus that picks up the pace dramatically and makes for one of my favorite tunes on the album. The backing vocals are terrific and the lyrics are inspiring and riot inducing. Great track. Listen for the outstanding lead guitar melody. 5/5
7. Drones- Opens where "Prayer of the Refugee" left off in a torrent which leads into Principe's pulsating bass riff coupled eventually by the pounding drum and dual guitar assault that rocks the house very hard. The consistency on this album is starting to become apparent {this is not a byis review by the way}. Damn good song, no questions asked. 5/5
8. The Approaching Curve- A poetic lyrical verse piece from the forceful vocals of Tim Mcllrath over top the great octave guitar and crashing drum that eventually morphs into the trademark Mcllrath vocal piece during the chorus and keeps up for the rest of the track. The musicianship is amazing as well with a simple but effective chorus that leads to a more technical palm muted guitar bridge and buzzing bass. Nice piece. 4.5/5
9. Worth Dying For- Kicks off forcefully with Mcllrath and the rest of Rise Against firing on all cylinders with balls to the wall straight-up punk masterpiece rock that never lets up. Two thumbs up. 5/5
After nine tracks of excellence there is no sign of letting up, and it doesn't. Not a bit.
10. Behind Closed Doors- Woh. The guitar/vocal duet grabs you by the nuts from the instant it kicks the song off. Excellent, excellent, excellent. I really like this song. It certainly maintains "The Sufferer and the Witness"'s tendency as a high profile album. Very good hardcore punk at its best. 5/5
11. Roadside- Good god this is an intensely emotional song from the git-go. A very beautiful string arrangement and lovely accompany vocals by Emily Schambra who has a very beautiful voice. Perfect piece of brilliance. Another favorite on the album. 5/5
12. The Good Left Undone- Lead guitar is terrific as well as intensely strong vocals. Great production, tender lyrics, and booming bass break down towards the end of the song. The end of the song featuers a 1:10 second outro leading towards the final song that features some terrific cymbal and pounding bass/tom/snare combos, as well as a finely tuned guitar riff. Stand out. 5/5
13. Survive- The finale is here. Starts off with absolutely shredding guitar work that is piss-your-pants fast and the drums barrel along blazing on all cylinders. The band is locked in and Barnes really brings out a terrific lead part through out the song. One of the best songs on the album and it is mastered to perfection by the recording team. Perfect layering, perfect vocals, perfect guitar work, perfect bass, perfect drums. Perfect song. Perfect ending. Favorite track on the alubm hands down. Wow song. 5/5
In my opinion this a band that has yet to be embraced on a level of mainstream audience but I think that is for the better. The fans who listen to the music will get a deep feel and connection to it. Rise Against is one of the best punk/hardcore bands out there today, and there music and message is something that should be definately be embraced by fans of great rocking music. Rise Against got my attention, and I'm sure glad that they did. Fantastic album.
