Rise Against

With the departure of founding guitarist Dan Wleklinski (a long-haired bad-ass metal dude who always seemed out of place with in the melodic hardcore world, yet could write some pretty amazing songs) it remained to be seen what would come of Rise Against. And while their sophomore effort is a departure from their two-year old debut, it could also be argued that it's an improvement. Instead of the prototypical pop-punk that permeated every groove of The Unraveling, there is mood and texture and maturity to be found here. Much like the progression their Fat label mates Strung Out went through on their "An American Paradox” record, Rise Against take time to think about the songs and instead of just thrashing out maximum beats per minute, they will occasionally slow things down. But in the end they are still the pissed off punks we want to be railing against most things establishment, especially the sharp swing to the right side of the political spectrum their country has undergone in the last two 18 months.