Rise Against
Siren Song of the Counter Culture

THE REVIEW

I had somewhat lost track of Rise Against in recent months, setting them aside in my personal playlist, after being blown away some time ago by that gem known as "Revolutions Per Minute," which I played to the point of exhaustion, I'd dare say over-listened, getting a binge that I still need to recover from.

I was curious to get my hands on the rest of their discography, but I could hardly have imagined that this treatise of modern melodic hardcore could be matched and perhaps even surpassed in terms of song quality, considering that "Siren Song Of The Counter Culture," their third album, marks an important transition to a major label, after the first two albums were distributed by Fat Mike's independent label.

So many were awaiting this new album chapter to see if the much-feared major label effect had brought any new changes or disturbances to the musical proposal of the Chicago quartet. But just pressing play on the player and letting the fiery and surprising notes of the opener "State of the Union" ring out (between Hatebreed and SOIA), one of the nastiest and meanest tracks the Rise have ever composed, it's clear that not much has changed from the previous release, and that's a good thing. Excellent completely screamed start, bearing in mind that we have rarely heard the band reach such shores and sounds, almost rendering it an "exception" within the varied lineup of the album.

The tracklist flows smoothly, as shown by "The First Drop", a typical Rise Against track, complete with double vocals and choruses supporting an anthemic chorus, and "Life Less Frightening", slightly more melodic than its predecessor, where great attention is given to the excellent bass lines, always fitting and helping to make the sound wall well-constructed. If "Paper Wings" turns out to be perhaps the most canonical and predictable track with its teen aura, the central trio convincingly consists of "Born to Bleed" with its excellent central solo, the driving "To Them Streets Belong" (with its original and pressing structure, featuring a start and end worth framing), and the excellent "Tip the Scales", which highlights once again the great voice of Tim McIlrath, probably the best voice of the current punk-rock/melodic hc scene, warm and passionate in the slow parts and hoarse and raw in the more lively ones.

The second part proves the real extra gear of the album, where the quality, instead of decreasing, reaches very high levels, avoiding any sense of boredom. From the engaging and paced "Anywhere But Here" leading to a joyous and perfectly fitting choral refrain, to the underrated "Rumors of My Demise Have Been Greatly Exaggerated", it is a continuous alternation of anthems for the joy of those who continue to follow this genre regardless of trends or other influences. In between, it's impossible not to mention the touching "Swing Life Away", an acoustic guitar ballad where McIlrath takes the reins, demonstrating how expressive and emotionally evocative a voice can be when supported only by a bare guitar, and "Dancing for Rain" (the "Like the Angel" of the CD), with its complex structure starting from an acoustic guitar intro bursting into punk-rock verses and rock choruses before returning to the initial motif, finally exploding again in the finale with the singer's excellent screams. Finally, the well-known single "Give it All", previously featured in the "Rock Against Bush" compilation and revisited here, also deserves mention.

The strengths of "Siren Song..." include excellent production, inspired songwriting, and a convincing and varied tracklist like never before, capable of transitioning from moments of reflection to truly explosive parts. It would have been hard to imagine a better follow-up to "Revolutions Per Minute," which is thus even surpassed, with the stylistic coordinates of the latter being echoed in this latest chapter, with only a slight decrease in some of the more screamed parts, which were more present in the previous installment.

Ultimately, "Siren Song Of The Counter Culture" represents everything that a record of this genre should possess and be today: engaging lyrics and a lot of fun, creating a strong dependency in the unsuspecting listener, which will lead them to press the repeat button on the stereo without hesitation.

The undisputed heralds of melodic hc beneath the stars and stripes and worldwide, remain them once again.