All right, this is my very first music review so bear with me here. I've decided my first review to be on the new Rise Against album Siren Song of the Counter Culture. As many people may believe that when a band signs onto a major label they tend to become more "watered down," well, I don't believe it, and this album will prove me correct. Rise Against is a four piece melodic hardcore band out of my home town of Chicago, Illinois, formed from 88 Fingers Louie, a band that pretty much founded Chicago's underground scene. Their influences include amazing bands such as Bad Religion, Minor Threat, and Bad Brains and is now starting to make their mark on the Windy City.

Siren Song of the Counter Culture is the bands debut album from Geffen Records, which they have recently signed with. This album is my personal favorite of the band, Tim McIlrath's voice is just simply amazing on this record. He's came a long way vocally since the bands debut full length The Unraveling off of Fat Wreck Chords in 2001. Not only is the voice amazing but the music that follows with it. In the opening song "State of the Union," opens up with a very fast paced guitar and drums, which to me, seems a bit heavy. Tim's voice comes in screaming opening with the words If we're the flagship of peace and prosperity, not my favorite song off the album but still a good one, I like it mainly because of the lyrics, which are very political. Here's a piece of the song, my favorite lyrics of the song.

State of the union address, reads war torn country still a mess, the words: power, death, and distorted truth are read between the lines of the red, white, and blue.

Following "State of the Union" is "The First Drop" which is a little less heavy than the first. Tim sings instead of screaming, and is followed by nice backing vocals of bassit Joe Principe and guitarist Chris Chasse. Tim's voice is of course amazing as always. Drummer Brandon Barnes plays them well with a nice beat to tie everything together perfectly. One of my favorites from the album. Lyric excerpt: Our futures burn on red horizons ashes scattered in winds of change. Casualty numbers are rising now its time to raise the stakes.

"Life less Frightening" is all in all an amazing song. Tim has written it well and sings it with much emotion. It opens with Chris's guitar playing a single steady chord for a couple seconds then come in the drums and bass, which all three do somewhat of a small intro to the song. Then the guitar changes into something more than a single chord. Tim later comes in singing, while the guitar stops and picks up again a few seconds later. It later shifts into a nice bass and drum solo, when the guitar kicks in Tim's voice goes from singing to screaming, also with awesome backing vocals. I'm amazed by this song every time I hear it, it stirs up emotions from deep inside of me. My favorite off of the album, they couldn't have done it any better. Lyric excerpt: Suffering from something we're not sure of in a world there is no cure for, these lives we live test negative for happiness. Flat line, no pulse, but eyes open, single file like soldiers on a mission, if there's no war outside our heads why are we losing?

The song "Blood to Bleed" is a little more emotion felt. Drifting away from the political side of the band and into a more personal area. It opens up with Joe playing the bass for a few seconds alone, then come in the guitar, drums, and Tim singing. This song has got a slower beat to it than the other pretty fast paced songs, the drums have a pretty steady slow beat to them, but goes well with the song. Yes, there is a guitar solo in this song that Tim plays, after the solo Tim again, goes from singing, to screaming, and you can just feel the emotion that comes from it. I get very emotional myself listening to this song as it reminds me of my past relationships. But anyway its a very well written and well played song. Lyric excerpt: "I don't love you anymore" is all I remember you telling me, never have I felt so cold. But I've no more blood to bleed, cause my heart has been draining into the sea.

"Swing Life Away" is another one of my favorites off of this album, again, its more personal. This song is very different from the others off of this record, as it is played with an acoustic guitar, it is very emotion felt as Tim sings about his friends and his loves. My favorite lyric from this song would have to be If love is a labor I'll slave till the end. Lyric excerpt: I'll show you mine, if you show me yours first. Let's compare scars, I'll tell you whose is worse. Let's unwrite these pages and replace them with our own words.

This album closes with the great song "Rumors of my Demise have been greatly exaggerated". Long title I know, but awesome song to say the least. Tim also plays guitar in this song. It's not too fast but its not too slow, it's kinda in between I guess. The lyrics kind of confuse me for some reason, I guess I just don't really understand what he is writing about. But they are good lyrics and are sung very well. Tim sings in this song but later, he shifts into screaming then singing again, and just sounds awesome. Another one of my favorites. Lyric excerpt: When I die will they remember not what I did but what I haven't done, it's not the end that I fear with each breath, It's life that scares me to death.


Song List:

1. State of the Union
2. The First Drop
3. Life less Frightening
4. Paper Wings
5. Blood to Bleed
6. To them these streets belong
7. Tip the Scales
8. Anywhere but Here
9. Give it all
10. Dancing for Rain
11. Swing Life Away
12. Rumors of my Demise have been greatly exaggerated

With this record, Rise Against has yet again proved themselves to be one of the greater bands to come out of the Chicago music scene. And has also proved, like I said earlier, that bands haven't "sold out" or became "watered down" just because they have signed onto a major label. They were good on Fat Wreck Chords, with The Unraveling, and Revolutions Per Minute which is their second album released in 2003, and are still amazing now with their third album, Siren Song of the Counter Culture. And haven't changed a bit, if anything I'd say they've improved, and they will always have a place on my top 10 favorites, and also a place in my heart. haha :)


Thanks for reading my review.

.xoxo.
Lana


Recommended: Yes

Great Music to Play While: Driving