Endgame -- Rise Against

Rise Against is an incredibly consistent band. So much so, in fact, that when you pick up one of their albums, you know exactly what you are going to get. For those that love the band, this is a good thing. For those that are on the fence or dislike the band, it may not be so favorable. Regardless of your opinion, your notions are not going to be changed with Endgame, so feel free to skip straight to the recommended tracks if you are familiar with the band.

If you are still reading, you don't know much about Rise Against or you think my writing is like the sweet poetry of R.L. Stine. Either way, the two most important things you need to know about the band are: they are politically driven and they are masters of tempo changes. One may think they'll grow tired of hearing political songs one after the other, but Rise Against generally does it well and sometimes it is good to get a break from the ocean of songs about the opposite sex. The problem is political songs tend to be simplistic because they are the simplest songs to write. No matter what happens, there is always going to be something you disagree with, so the songs will nearly write themselves. All a political band must do is write about how terribly they believe the government is performing and the song is complete. Yes, Katrina relief was not handled optimally and the oil spill was not applauded by anyone, but writing a song ("Help is on the Way") about it isn't going to embarrass anyone at fault or change anyone's mind on the subject. Again, there is absolutely nothing wrong with being a politically driven band, it just doesn't require as much lyrical talent to churn out single-after-single.

A few years ago, I affectionately knew Rise Against as the "Slow-Down/Speed-Up Band", because I noticed that in nearly every single they released the chorus was at half the speed of the verses. This is an extremely cool tactic to put into the songwriting process, because it gives the chorus a much more epic punch. In Endgame, nearly every song (not just the singles) has some sort of tempo change. No matter how much I try to grow tired of it, it always sounds awesome. It isn't just half-time and double-time changes; there are numerous complete tempo changes in the middle of songs that keep each song fresh throughout. If you haven't experienced this, take a listen to this album (or any by Rise Against) for that reason alone. There is no one better than Rise Against at tempo changes. It is the single biggest draw to the band and can bring me back to them time-and-again on its own.

Like many "punkish" bands, the overall speed of songs by Rise Against, including those on Endgame, is quite a bit faster than the average album. The band does its best when it takes its time and goes just slightly slower, though. When they speed up too fast, Rise Against tends to sound like The Offspring with a better singer. While The Offspring is not a bad band, Rise Against has so much greater potential and should not waste songs sounding like an inferior. However, the comparison between the bands cannot be made in the song "Broken Mirrors". It is the most unique song Rise Against has made to date and, as a result, ends up being one of the top songs on Endgame. The best way to describe the sound is the lovechild of The Resistance-era Muse and American Idiot-era Green Day meeting Tool. There is probably no bigger, truthful compliment that can be given to Rise Against thus far in their careers.

As far as the music itself is concerned, the band again focuses heavily on the singing of Tim McIlrath. He still has the strong, raspy voice that he has always had, but with the screaming all but eliminated from Endgame it is sometimes difficult to see if feeling resides behind his words. However, have no doubt, the ability is still completely there. Other than vocals, drums are the only instrument worthy of any conversation. While there is nothing earth-shattering within the beats of Brandon Barnes, he is absolutely above average while pounding the skins, and his ability to completely change tempos in the middle of songs should not go unnoticed. The guitar and bass work are nothing at which to scoff, but are definitely par for the genre.

Like the lyrics of their songs, Rise Against's Endgame is going to change no minds. If you liked the band before, you'll welcome the release. If not, you'll avoid it. McIlrath may need to ask himself his own question: "Don't you remember when you were young, and you wanted to set the world on fire?". Somewhere deep down, Tim, I know you do. Don't let your fire be squelched or you may forever be resigned to being average. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Rating: 3.2 out of 5
Genre: Hard Rock/Punk

Recommend Songs:
Architects
Make it Stop
Satellite
Broken Mirrors

Holding Onto Strings Better Left To Fray -- Seether

Seether has been at the top of the hard rock scene for nearly a decade. The Disclaimer albums as well as Karma and Effect were extraordinary. These facts only serve to make their latest release, Holding Onto Strings Better Left To Fray (I suppose I can forgive the grammatical error), the most disappointing album of the year. In fact, to fully describe it, the review would need to be r-rated.

What better place to start than the beginning? "Fur Cue" kicks everything off heavy in classic Seether style. If you are still fooled by this tactic, then I guess their plan is working. It seems that the band feels that they can trick their old fans into thinking that nothing has changed and the band is still the Seether of the past. While the song is the heaviest, this does not mean it is the best. Seether generally puts one of the best songs of the album first, but this one does not come close to the previous album openers ("Gasoline", "Because of Me", and "Like Suicide"). Let's not let the band get off easy with that song title, either. "Fur Cue"? Really? How cute. Too bad those words make no furking sense when placed together. Maybe Britney Spears helped them out with the song title.

After the not-so-terrible "Fur Cue", listeners are treated to two songs so nauseating and heartless ("No Resolution" and "Here and Now") they'll be fooled in to thinking "Country Song" is of quality. The songs just don't go anywhere. There is seemingly no emotion behind them and, as a result, they are absolutely boring. At least the band experimented a little with "Country Song", but it missed the mark as well. It is quite an accomplishment to do something fairly unique and still manage to be completely generic (the group-chanted "hey"s and "woah"s seal the song's fate). The song actually has a good bridge that may make one forget that the song is forgettable. Until the chorus kicks back in, that is.

Let's discuss the positives of the album for a minute so you can catch your breath before we return the mountains of disappointment. The direction taken for Holding Onto Strings Better Left To Fray will not be a favorable one for the majority of Seether fans, but it is a respectable progression. The band did not sell-out and take the route that many others (such as Nickelback) have. Even with this undesirable direction, there are three songs on the album that are very enjoyable listens. Unfortunately, it takes until the 5th song of the album for Seether to treat their fans to "Master of Disaster". This song is really nothing overwhelmingly special, but it feels like one of the few songs on the album Shaun Morgan (guitarist and lead vocals) actually felt. As he croons, "You stole my dreams...I'm dead inside", you can genuinely feel the disgust in his voice. The song also features an awesome bass interlude toward the end that is absolutely perfect for the song. The rhythm section, with John Humphries on drums and Dale Stewart on bass, highlighting the album is nothing new; That is Seether's style of music. "Roses" uses keys along with the traditional Seether-style of music to create a song that sets a mood like no other on the album. It is dark and ominous throughout most of the song, but a key change in later choruses provides release and a sense of hope for listeners. It truly is an fulfilling experience. The surprise (and possibly best song) of the album comes follows immediately. As "Down" starts, you may think you are listening to a song by The Toadies. It is is different in the most positive sense of the word and is just different enough to keep you interested during the verses before it blasts you with a catchy chorus. True greatness comes from Pearl Jam-esque solo (it is by far the best Seether solo to date) and the outro. No one has ever accused Seether of using profanity in a productive manner, but here Morgan sings the most effective profane words of his career. As the song comes to a close, the lyrics of the chorus change slightly and he belts, "Why'd you f***ing doubt me, why'd you have to put me down?". This is not about the lyrics. This is about the feeling. These words give hope that somewhere deep inside, there may still be some passion left inside Morgan.

One should note that Morgan seems to have worked out some issues in his life and is now a happier man, as evidenced by this new music. Formerly dark bands, like Seether, putting out happy songs is not a problem as long as the sincerity is still there. The problem is the majority of these type songs on Holding Onto Strings Better Left to Fray feel fake. It is simply unnatural for Morgan to be singing about such bright subjects. Happy songs are more difficult to write and he does not seem to have the ability to sing them in the way they are meant to be sung. That being said, Morgan does succeed in the sure-to-be hit, "Tonight". It may not be the cup-of-tea for older fans of the band, but a good song is a good song no matter the band that wrote it.

There are plenty of forgettable songs on the album and that is forgivable to an extent. However, there is no forgiveness for "Pass Slowly". The only PG-rated word that can be used to describe the song is "atrocious". I've never been one to skip songs when listening to albums, but that lousy excuse for a song is unacceptable. "Desire for Need" sounds like a song pulled straight from a Disclaimer b-side cd, "Fade Out" builds up massive potential during the first verse and fizzles out, and "Forsaken" is an uninspired album closer. In contrast to the generally well-produced nature of the album, the bass drum sounds awful. It nearly sounds dead. It is like they recorded some guy hitting a mattress with a hammer. This distraction is quite disappointing since Humphries is such a good drummer.

Even though the album is not all bad, but there are certainly much more negatives than positives to discuss. The band seems to be in a downward spiral and there may be no coming back. It may be time for Seether to hang it up if they cannot find a way to put more energy and passion into future releases. The talent is certainly there. It is just a matter of finding the drive to keep on going.

Rating: 2 out of 5
Genre: Post-Grunge

Recommended Tracks:
Master of Disaster
Roses
Down