The Unraveling (album)

Background and recording

Rise Against was formed in 1999 after the dissolution of the Chicago punk rock band 88 Fingers Louie. Bassist Joe Principe and guitarist Dan Wleklinski were still interested in making music, and decided to start a new band. The two recruited drummer Toni Tintari and lead vocalist Tim McIlrath, the former lead vocalist of the punk band Baxter. They called themselves Transistor Revolt, and released the extended play Transistor Revolt in 2000. Shortly after its release, Tintari left the band, and was replaced by Brandon Barnes. Transistor Revolt garnered the attention of Fat Mike, the co-founder of the independent record label Fat Wreck Chords. He signed the band to a recording contract in 2000, with the stipulation that they change their name; the band members ultimately decided on Rise Against.

After signing with Fat Wreck Chords, the band began to work on an album at Sonic Iguana Studios in Lafayette, Indiana, where Principe and Wleklinski had previously recorded material for 88 Fingers Louie. Recording took place over the course of five weeks, with Mass Giorgini serving as the producer, and Wleklinski serving as the assistant engineer. Wleklinski later remarked on the grueling workdays: "12-hour days for 4 of those weeks, and then 22-24 hours per day during that last week of tracking. These were the times of 'If you don’t play it right, you have to play it again,' not 'That was good enough, I’ll edit it so it’s on time.'" Wleklinski also commented that it was difficult to split his time between recording guitar parts and engineering the songs, and that during the last week he had to sleep on the studio floor.

To promote The Unraveling, Rise Against toured extensively throughout the United States and Europe. While on tour, Wleklinski left the band due to personal differences with McIlrath. Rumor spread that Wleklinski was fired because of his long hair, although McIlrath derided these claims. Phillip Hill stood in as lead guitarist, and Kevin White was eventually hired as a replacement. A few months later, White left the band, and Todd Mohney was recruited as the new lead guitarist.

Style and composition

Musically, The Unraveling is primarily rooted in melodic hardcore, with influences of punk rock and hardcore punk. Shawn Merrill of Exclaim! compared the album to works by other punk rock bands like Agnostic Front, Bad Religion, Gorilla Biscuits, and Minor Threat. The Unraveling begins with a quote by actor and musician Jack Black asking the listener if they "are ready to rock", which is taken from the 1996 film The Cable Guy. It then transitions into the first track "Alive and Well", a fast-paced song that combines screaming vocals with melodies in the chorus. Davey Boy of Sputnikmusic considers the second track, "My Life Inside Your Heart", to be the most accessible song on the album, while "Great Awakening" has a "frantic pace" with a hardcore sound. The next song "Six Ways 'Til Sunday" is more inspired by punk rock, with a long closing group chant.

Boy notes that tracks five through ten alternate between short hardcore songs like "The Art of Losing" and "Remains of Summer Memories", and more conventional sounding songs like "The Unraveling". The eleventh track, "Everchanging", begins with minimal background music to highlight McIlrath's vocals. After two more hardcore songs, "1000 Good Intentions" begins playing, which James Benwell of Drowned in Sound compared to "Everchanging". Boy adds that the track is reminiscent of the sound of future Rise Against albums, with its punk base combined with more mainstream rock influence. The final two tracks, "Weight of Time" and "Faint Resemblance", close the album in a "nice summation of everything that has come before them", according to Boy. Lyrically, The Unraveling is intended to be thought-provoking, with themes ranging from "friendships and relationships [to] religion and memories".

Release

Fat Wreck Chords released The Unraveling on April 24, 2001, in the United States on CD and LP formats; the original 2001 CD pressing is currently out of print. It failed to reach any major music chart, and did not produce a single. Since the album's release, some of its songs have been featured in compilation albums and other media. An acoustic rendition of "Everchanging" was included on the Warped Tour 2006 Tour Compilation and the European track listing of the 2007 extended play This Is Noise. "The Art of Losing" and "My Life Inside Your Heart" were to be used in the unreleased 2001 video game Propeller Arena.

In 2005, Fat Wreck Chords reissued The Unraveling on CD and digital download format to coincide with the band's fifth anniversary. It was remixed and remastered by Bill Stevenson and Jason Livermore at The Blasting Room in Fort Collins, Colorado, with two bonus songs ("Join the Ranks" and "Gethsemane"), updated photography, and additional album liner information. Mohney plays lead guitar on "Gethsemane", as the track was recorded after Wlekinski's departure.

Critical reception

The Unraveling received positive reviews upon its initial release. Merrill praised the album's music, and described Rise Against as the "hardcore salvation" he had been waiting for. Boy wrote that he was initially skeptical about listening to the album, but ultimately called it "a surprisingly accomplished work that contains all of the band's trademark strengths". He also highlighted the musicianship between the band members. Benwell noted that while the music was not innovative, it was still a "perfectly formed slab of uplifting punk rock", and recommended the album to any hardcore punk fans. AllMusic's Kurt Morris commented that Rise Against was different than other Fat Wreck Chords bands at the time, as there was no poppy songs or juvenile humor in the lyrics. He felt that the music was "pure and unadulterated", and that The Unraveling would revitalize moshing.

The 2005 reissue was also met with positive reviews. AltSounds highlighted the improved sound quality and called it a "must have for any Rise Against fan". Sputnikmusic also noted the improved sound quality, but criticized the positioning of each song in the track list. The reviewer wrote that certain songs felt out of place when paired next to each other, and wondered why the track listing had not been altered for the reissue.

Track listing

All lyrics written by Tim McIlrath; all music composed by Tim McIlrath, Joe Principe, Dan Wleklinski, and Brandon Barnes.

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of the 2005 reissue of The Unraveling.