notes a small green godong

Like vandalism in their music videos. I am so glad Bush won the election before they put their video out so they could look about as lame as possible right off the bat.
Rating: 1 / 5

This is the most insipid garbage I’ve ever heard passed off as “punk”. These guys are stemming the tide of mainstream pop-punk? Dude, no. They’re worse because they’re actually trying to pretend they’re better than or different to those bands. At no point does the guitar sound at all jagged, gritty, or dirty. It’s all languid, lackluster, limp-wristed powerchord strumming that has more in common with Nickelback and Three Days Grace than it does with even Blink 182 or Sum 41, let alone any real punk bands. The vocals are the only thing that set this album apart from any of those bands. This isn’t the sound of a band attacking their instruments like they mean it. This is the sound of a band sitting back in comfortable chairs watching tv while they churn out boring, energyless music with as much disinterest as possible. The producer has also done his best to drain the sound of any vitality it may have had and make it as homogenized as possible.
Rating: 1 / 5

A band of “antiestablishmentarians” signed to a major label…do I see a contradiction in terms here? Rage Against the Machine for the new millenium masses, Rise Against is the epitome of what is wrong with the music industry today. How on the one hand can you claim to want to change the system but then utilize some of the most evil and ultracorporate tools to do this? (i.e. MTV, Dreamworks!) The music is pop-core punk at best and the message is clear: Do as I say, not as I do. If you want to incite change through music then: 1. Sign to an independent label or create your own label. 2. DO NOT under any circumstances make a friggin video for play on MTV. 3. Tour Relentlessly 4. Do Not take your fans for idiots 5. Back your message with actions not hollow words. These guys are the lowest common denominator in the music industry.
Rating: 1 / 5

I first heard of this band with the release of the single “Swing Life Away”, which I thought was good enough to merit a listen to the entire album. The album as a whole is nothing like the single. It is very punk rock with lots of unintelligible screaming, empty lyrics and poor vocals from the lead singer. After researching the band (which I should have done first) I found that they’ve had a few albums before this one. It’s clear to me now. They were a medicore, no-name band so their record label released a “pop” sounding song to trick the unsuspecting into buying the album. So if “Swing Life Away” is what brought you here, then do yourself a favor and just download it.
Rating: 1 / 5

You can tell the singer has a good voice when he stops screaming long enough to make an attempt at singing. Since when does yelling loud enough to distort any trace of pitch or melody become “music”? There is one decent song on this album and if you’re smart you’ll just buy the single on-line somewhere.
Rating: 1 / 5