The Sufferer & the Witness - Dark Publications

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Similar Items:

•	Siren Song of the Counter Culture
•	Revolutions Per Minute
•	The Unraveling
•	Appeal to Reason [Ecopack]
•	Minutes to Midnight

Editorial Reviews:

Amazon.com
Rise Against returns with a rollicking wallop of an album that further establishes the Chicago-based outfit as one of the great bright hopes for the future of alienation rock. Cut from the same savvy cloth as Bad Religion and Black Flag, Rise Against rocks hard during the martial opus opener, "Chamber The Cartridge," the melodic "Injection," which asks us to imagine that Iron Maiden came from sunny California and not some dreary part of London, and "Ready To Fall," which may be one of the greatest anthems of adolescent estrangement since The Who's "Baba O'Riley." The band also isn't afraid of a good hook and scintillating melody ("Under The Knife"), exploring complex emotions ("Roadside"), or unleashing a bit of old-school breakneck fury sans apology ("Brick"). All of these things demonstrate that Rise Against is drawing from a broader palette than many of its counterparts, one of the reasons it will (indeed, already has) rise above the masses of sound-alike acts vying for the attention of the MySpace generation.-Jedd Beaudoin

Album Description
UK version of their 2006 release features one bonus track: 'Built To Last'. Chicago's Rise Against is anything but a single-minded musical outfit. An astounding fusion of unhinged power, ear-grasping melodies, stimulating lyrics and the ability to reach audiences in both underground and mainstream circles, they have redefined the rules. The Sufferer & The Witness, their fourth album, continues to build upon the solid punk foundation - it is a striking collection, with Rise Against using elements from spoken word, expanded balladry, and simply plodding forward with a faster, harder, louder ethic. Polydor.

Album Details
Includes Bonus Track "Built to Last".

Customer Reviews: Read 82 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

The completion of a band's evolution to greatness July 25, 2006
31 out of 35 found this review helpful

I was all prepared to accuse Rise Against off selling out after the release of their single "Swing Life Away" from "Siren Song of the Counter Culture," released in 2004. But after listening to their 2006 album "The Sufferer and the Witness" I realize that they haven't sold out, they have simply outgrown the limitations of the punk-genre. And it's all good.

2001 saw the release of "The Unraveling," a quality punk album with 16 tracks clocking in at under 37 minutes. (Do the math.) With 2003 came "Revolutions Per Minute," which is as much hardcore as punk with its pummeling drums and group-shouted refrains. "Siren Song" displays Rise Against's evolution as a band, mixing into the hardcore-punk base a few more fleshed-out rock songs that break out of the three chord mold. At a mainstream length 12 songs and 40 minutes and the inclusion of several acoustic moments (not to mention the MTV-embraced "Swing Life Away"), this album shows definite growth.

Now we have the completion of the process, "The Sufferer and the Witness." The leadoff track "Chamber the Cartridge" proves their punk bona fides have not withered away. Next is "Injection" and the pattern of complex, melodic punk-rock is established. Most of the album continues with this pattern, with occasional deviations, always for the better. Some of the best tracks are in the middle of the album. "Prayer of the Refugee" for example begins with an acoustic-ballad sound before roaring into a dramatically uptempo screaming chorus. Next is "Drones," which hews toward punk-emo if there is such a thing, and I mean that in a good way. Rise Against forgoes the typical social commentary/establishment criticism for a personal song with the refrain "If you see me please just walk on by, walk on by...forget my name, and I'll forget it too."

"The Sufferer and the Witness" might not be a purely-punk album, but neither is it a sell-out album. It is, simply, an awesome, genre-defying rock masterpiece showing a band at the apex of their career.

4 out of 5 stars

Good Punk Album July 6, 2006
11 out of 17 found this review helpful

Prior to an opportunity to listen to Rise Against, I'd never followed the band and I remain unfamiliar with their past work. But with AOL option of listening before you purchase, I decided I would listen to hear what the hardcore punk band had to offer. The result of the listen basically revealed that not only Rise Against, but also their new album THE SUFFERER AND THE WITNESS had a lot to offer any interested listener. To start off with, if you are a big punk fan, especially hardcore punk that has a lot of abrupt transitions in the music, tempo changes, and manic singing from the lead singer, then Rise Against is your group and this album is highly recommended.

The production here for the most part is well done. Per punk, the guitars are overproduced at given moments, but that goes with the nature of the music. The sad thing here is that as overproduced as the guitars go here, Rise Against still has nothing compared to the overproduced guitars on Nickelback's ALL THE RIGHT REASONS (cheap shot, I know). Production of course isn't the big dysfunction of Rise Against. At times, the lyrics become a bit to incomprehensible and makes the listener think he is listening only to loud, unfounded screaming. At the best moments in THE SUFFERER AND THE WITNESS, the vocals are balanced with comprehensible lyrics as well as comprehensibly music. The positive thing is that for the most part, THE SUFFERER does everything right, with only a few flaws.

The album opens with a bang with the unique, attention-grabbing "Chamber the Cartridge". Instantly with this initial track you here that these punks are going to take you through a ride of driving guitars, raucous drums, whiny/eccentric/ crazy vocals, and a beaucoup of transitions (tempo, timbre, etc.). That trend never dies on this album and keeps it fresh. "Injection" does one better production wise than it's former track "Chamber the Cartridge" as you can actually comprehend more of the lyrics and the direction that RISE AGAINST is trying to carry the band and the listener in. The next three tracks "Ready To Fall", "Bricks", and "Under The Knife" all impress for the most part (though they under impress slightly compared to "Chamber..." and "Injection"), but it is "Prayer of The Refugee" that raises the album to new heights, most unexpected of a punk band. "Prayer of the Refugee" features some truly "sick" guitar work, assertive background vocals supporting the lead, manic lead vocals, and abrupt switches in style, making the track unpredictable by the listener. Keeping the momentum set, both "Drones" and "The Approaching Curve" are equally solid compared to "Prayer..." and stand among the best of the entire album. While a few of the tracks at the end of the album fall off slightly in quality and excitement ("Worth Dying For", "Behind Closed Doors", "Survive"), tracks "The Good Left Undone" and the even better "Roadside" keep the pace of the earliest tracks steady.

Overall, the album is pretty tight and filler material is on the low. It isn't without a few flaws, but they aren't enough to truly bog it down. Perhaps this album will bring Rise Against to the forefront of the music world. With the work shown here, they should truly be scoring platinum albums like their many contemporaries. 4 stars.

5 out of 5 stars

I'm a witness of a damn good album... July 7, 2006
7 out of 10 found this review helpful

I've been familiar with rise against since 2003 and their second full length album "revolutions per minute". in my eyes, everything about that album is what a hardcore punk cd should sound like. then "siren song..." was released and that too is a great record and an improvement for the band. tim mcgrath is a intelligent songwriter that has something to say in his lyrics and delivers them with unique, angst filled vocals which is done by raw screaming or beautiful melodic singing. they are a true definition of a true band that stick to their roots to deliver sincere, revolutionary music with the likes of thrice, coheed and cambria, thursday, etc.

I would definitely consider myself a huge rise against fan.

their new album "the sufferer and the witness" is yet another milestone they can add to their careers. upon first listen, i could tell they've grown as musicians and experimented with this album. yet, the album sounds like a mix of their prior releases. there are some fast and short punk songs on here similiar to something off of "the unraveling", hardcore punk rock songs similiar to "RPM", and some good rock songs as found on "siren song..." there's a little bit of everything on here from their past as well as some new features. you could definitely say it transcends genres. one thing i can't help notice is that the aggressiveness has been turned down on the album and that's kind of a bummer. although, i like how they experimented with the guitars and vocals on the cd and that makes up for the lack of punch and aggressiveness.

Here's a rundown of the songs:

1.Chamber of Cartridge - 4/5 - starts the album off fast and aggressive but know where as good as "state of the union" or "black masks and gasolines". sounds like old-school Rise against.

2.Injection - 4.5/5 - a great rock song with a soaring chorus and verse that sounds like something off "siren song..."

3.Ready to Fall - 5/5 - the first single off the album and it's damn good. it has great lyrics and some of tim's ferocious screams. this song is a new direction for rise against.

4.Bricks - 3.5/5 - another old-school fast and short punkish song reminiscent of something off of "the unraveling"

5.Under the Knife - 5/5 - a energetic rocker with a insanely catchy chorus. i really like this one and it's different from their other stuff.

6.Prayer of the Refugee - 4.5/5 - a slowly developing track that launches into a powerful chorus.

7.Drones - 5/5 - this is one of my favorites on the cd, and the guitars shine on this track! very catchy with stinging lyrics talking about politics and mostly religion. a good rocker.

8.The Approaching Curve - 5/5 - the most experimental song rise against has ever done and it's really great. tim speaks the lyrics as if telling a story for all the verses but then explodes into a catchy chorus. reminiscent of at the drive-in's "invalid litter dept."

9.Worth dying for - 4.5/5 - a song that could of easily been found on "siren song..." and it has a great chance of becoming a single. the verses are aggressive with a slower chorus. classic Rise against!

10.Behind Closed Doors - 5/5 -something that could of been on either of their past two albums. it rocks hard with once again intelligent lyrics.

11.Roadside - 4/5 -another experimental song that some say is "sufferer's" answer to "siren song's..." swing life away. although, it's not acoustic and it's a lot darker. very different side of rise against.

12.The good left undone - 4.5/5 -another good fast, aggressive typical rocker that isn't filler and picks up from the previous track nicely.

13.Survive - 5/5 - another one of my favorites on the record. it starts out with a long, atmospheric intro but then shifts into a hard-hitting song with plenty of power.

Rise against has once again deliver the goods and if your a fan of the band, you will most definitely enjoy this album. it's great melodic hardcore punk with great vocals that deliver revolutionary lyrics through memorable songs. although, i must say this album is far from perfect as were their previous three albums. i believe rise against has yet to make their masterpiece. all their albums up to this point have been great and i think by their next record, their get it exactly right.

3 out of 5 stars

Such a drastic change from Siren Song.... July 8, 2006
7 out of 11 found this review helpful

This is a LONG review, but if you want an honest take on " Sufferer And The Witness ", then read on...

I first started listening to Rise Against when they released their highly acclaimed " Siren Song Of The Counter Culture ", loved by music fans of all genres. This album was great because it offered so much variety within its catchy tunes. All the songs were good, except " State Of The Union " and " Swing Life Away ". Of all the cd's I own, Siren Song is near the top of the list of my favorites.

When this album came out mere days ago, I came here to read the reviews. There were only 7 on the day of the release, but each were perfect 5-star reviews praising Rise Against for another great album. I listened to some song clips and it sounded ok, so I went into the album with low expectations hoping they wound be risen. But after listening to " Suffer And The Witness " full through, I cant help but say I am disappointed.

The problem that plagues this album is the overall lack of polish that Siren Song had. Now in reality, each band always changes their sound every release to keep their music fresh. I can understand that fans either like the new change or not. Even without that notion though, " Sufferer And The Witness " is an average record at best.

The first thing I noticed when I popped the cd into my car to listen to the opener of the album, " Chamber The Cartridge " was the change in vocals. Tim sounds alot less raspy then he did in previous releases, but the real wonder is what Chris Lord-Alge (the producer) was thinking when it came to hearing the sounds of Joe and Chris (the backup vocalists of the band). They almost sound like robots in this album - at least clearly in the chorus of " Chamber The Cartridge ".

Following " Chamber The Cartridge" are some of the best tracks on the cd in " Injection " and " Ready To Fall ". Both of these songs ooze with polish and feel like they couldve been on " Siren Song Of The Counter Culture ". " Bricks " is classic Rise Against, which makes for a fast track overflowing with energy and continues the pace set forth at the beginning of the cd. But as the album progresses on, however, flaws start to be exposed.

The biggest problem with this album is that the tracks start to become to generic. " Prayer And The Refugee " and " Drones " are two prime examples of this opinion. Both songs have great choruses and verses (Prayer's haunting guitars are excellent), but arent long enough. The chorus of " Drones " is sang only once at the end of the song and is no different from the choruses earlier in the song - the same with " Prayer ". If only they threw in some harmonies at the end or something, wouldve made these tracks phenomenal. They arent bad cuts, but they feel like they are missing something. " The Approaching Curve " is a little too experimental to enjoy.

Of the last four tracks on the cd, " Roadside " is the only one worth mentioning. The female vocals in this song work great, and the whole feel is relaxed and mysterious. This is one of the better slow songs that Rise Against has produced during their tenure in the scene.

All in all, " The Sufferer And The Witness " isnt a bad album, but its just so average. All the greatness that was produced in " Siren Song Of The Counter Culture " seemed to be lost in the tradition. Go listen to " Tip The Scales ", " Paper Wings ", and " Rumors Of My Demise " and then listen to this album. Nothing is varied like those songs. I highly reccomend sampling some tracks from this album to see if you like it. You are always better safe then sorry. If I could I would give it 2.5 stars.

Other Notes:

- As evident from the cover of this album, there is a PA sticker on it. There are only 4 curse words on the cd, all being F words on the last cut, " Survive ". Other then that, there is no cursing on the album.

- The insert of the cd contains the lyrics and a few pictures of the band playing live. The lyrics are written in an artsy version of cursive, so some parts are difficult to read. To be honest, you really arent missing much if you dont get the insert, so buying the album online via a digital distribution service like iTunes is not that bad of an option to consider.

- If you buy the album at Best Buy, you get a ticket inside the jewel case that lets you download a live version of " Life Less Frightening " online. If you get the album at Target, you can get a live version of " Paper Wings " as well as a bonus track entitled " The Boy's No Good ".

I hope you enjoyed my review, and thanks for reading.

5 out of 5 stars

Rise Again July 5, 2006
4 out of 6 found this review helpful

Rise Against has done it yet again. I didn't think that they could top Siren Songs or Revolutions but in my book, this is their best CD to date. It shows growth both musically and lyrically, and is just plain fun to listen to. Here's a track breakdown.

1. Chamber the Cartridge: 4.8/5 Starts out with a bang. Perfect opener for the greatness that ensues. Not as good as State of the Union but still a fantastic song. Meaty, raw, and surprisingly fluid.

2. Injection: 4.9/5 This is a song that will definately grow on you with subsequent listens. The lyrics are fantastic, focusing on addiction.

3. Ready to Fall: 4.5/5 Their first single. I wasn't too into it at first but after about 5 listens it definately grew on me. Really heavy.

4. Bricks: 4.7/5 1:33 of raw freaking power. Reminds you of the Rise of old.

5. Under the Knife: 4.5/5 Another great song. Nothing that stands out too much, just a fantastic song throughout.

6. Prayer of the Refugee: 5/5 The song is so damn catchy it is scary. It starts out kind of lazily and then breaks into the chorus, which just obliterates the softness right before it. The vocal harmonizing during the last 20 seconds is amazing. Pry my second favorite song on the album.

7. Drones: 4.8/5 Starts out with a great beat and a fatty bass line. Again, the chorus just kills on this track. It is a perfect song for their concert. Great throughout.

8. The Approaching Curve: 3.5/5 This is the only song that really doesn't work on the CD. The lyrics are completely spoken except for the chorus. They seem forced and too melodramatic, like something you'd read in the first three paragraphs of a book. The chorus is fantastic but it cant save the song.

9. Worth Dying For: 5/5 This is my personal favorite and just an awesome song. It feels epic even though it is only three and a half minutes. The song structure is perfect and the music is infectious.

10. Behind Closed Doors: 4.3/5 Another consistantly catchy song. Nothing stands out too much but again, it is solid throughout.

11. Roadside: 4.7/5 Some RA fans might be turned off by this song but I really dig it. I guess it's the Swing Life Away of the album. Not being a fan of SLA I was reluctant to like this song seeing as it is somewhat of a soft song. The song writings fantastic and it is sung beautifully.

12. The Good Left Undone: 4.9/5 Catchy catchy bo betchy, banana fana fo fetchy.

13. Survive: 4.8/5 Great closer. Epic in scope and a nice way to close it out.

Although I bought the CD today, I downloaded it a few weeks ago so I've had a chance to listen to it around 40 times. The songs grow on you with subsequent listens so if you aren't feeling it at first listen to it a few more times. Overall, it is an amazing CD and I can't wait to see them perform it live.

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