I Rise - For Redemption

I Rise is one of the most exciting young bands in hardcore right now. Coming from the hardcore breeding ground of Massachusetts, I Rise is a name that is quickly becoming recognizable to a lot more people in the hardcore scene. They have been touring their debut EP "Down" off 1917 Records non-stop since 2007 and have gained notoriety for their thoughtful lyrics and unique sound in modern hardcore. I Rise has a lot less in common with bands like Reign Supreme and Trash Talk, but a sound that harkens back to bands like 108 and even Rage Against The Machine.

The first time I saw I Rise was at a show in Nashville, Tennessee at an awesome venue called The Muse as a part of a 3 day bonanza of awesome shows that might have well been a festival. Some friends and I had driven the 9 hours down to Nashville for the first of those shows which was headlined by Have Heart and Down To Nothing and I Rise was hidden right in the middle of that 8 or 9 band lineup that night, and were an awesome surprise. That night I picked up "Down" at their merch table and have been a fan ever since.

So now, months after that, the debut LP "For Redemption" has arrived and it is a great album.

Immedietly someone familiar with the band can tell that it is I Rise, but at the same time it is evident that they have taken the effort to write a new record and not "Down" with more tracks. They are not trying to re-imagine the band, but they are just making a stand alone record. The lyrics are still fantastic, and the music is a little harder hitting and at the sametime there is a little more variety in this offering.

There are a few standout tracks on the album, "Status Call", "The Door" and "See No Evil" (feat. Aaron Bedard of Bane fame) come to mind immedietly. That is not to say the rest of the album is a slouch however, because that is simply not true. If I Rise haven't crafted one of the best albums of the year, they have at least crafted the most solid. In my hours and hours of listening to this album, I have yet to skip a track because I was bored of it, and I think that is proof enough for that assertion.

Do yourself a favor and check out I Rise on 1917 Records. One of my most favorite albums of 2008 so far.

I Rise on MySpace
1917 Records
I Rise : 1917 Webstore
Amazon