It seems a bit odd to write a somewhat retrospective impression of an album, but that's exactly what I find myself doing here. With the re-release of their debut album "The Unraveling", Rise Against has gone back to the beginning to blow the dust off of their first album and polish it up a bit. Aside from the sixteen original album tracks, the "new" album also throws in two bonus songs with Join the Ranks (previously released on a compilation album) and Gethsemane which was previously unreleased.

Five years after deciding to come together as a band and after seeing nearly as many guitarists, Rise Against has finally made it to a level of success that allows them to be recognized on such mainstream venues as MTV's Total Request Live. Does this change anything about their music, goals or ideals? Not a chance. In an excerpt from the album in discussion, vocalist Tim McIlrath writes "These songs mean as much to us now as they did then, and we have no intention of giving this up anytime soon."

So now let's talk about The Unraveling a little, shall we? Any Rise Against fan will have no trouble recognizing the raspy voice of Tim or the pouding rhythms and intricate leads of ex-88 Fingers Louie bassman Joe Principe, who in my opinion are the two members that offer the most defining sound to the band. Remastered or not, there is still that element of underground that makes this recording a fairly apparent flashback. Personally, I love it. Having listened to the original version countless times, however, this is such an amazing step up in quality. Everything has been fine-tuned and brought to a level of production that will put this right in step with the rest of your current music collection. As for the songs' content, well... that's just classic Rise Against. The theme of the music ranges from love lost to an unfaltering hatred for the political injustice seen every day. These skinny little vegan boys can pack a lot of energy and emotion into an hour of music.

All told, this is a must have for any fan of Rise Against. If you're new to the music of this band, I'd recommend picking up the remastered version of The Unraveling as it gives better song clarity and sound quality - not to mention the two bonus tracks.

Rise Against is currently preparing to begin their tour of Australia and Europe beginning in October.