Anew Revolution
Rise
Koch Records
9/10

Given my taste for the “odd” (or perhaps being the cynic that I am), with the garbage bands frequently heard on the airwaves today, I have little faith in the current American rock scene. That being said, I have to be honest when I say I went into this record with some severe skepticism. I was pleasently surprised by Rise, however. With Ünloco‘s Joey Duenas on guitar/vocals, bass and drums handled by Frank Salvaggio and Rob Urbani of Slaves On Dope; throw in Austin, TX local guitar hero Shaun Stockton with Mudrock (Avenged Sevenfold, Godsmack) as a producer and it comes together as a solid and masterful melodic hard rock album. This is a band whose hard work/hard touring ethic has paid off to form a tight-knit group whose chemistry and dedication is evident in every song on this album. Whether you prefer to rock out or sing along, Rise supplies ample cause for both, and after only hearing the album twice I found myself longing for more. This is a CD I would definitely share with my friends, confident that it would not disappoint.

-Kim Worpek