27 Albums That Shaped the First 27 Years of My Life, #16: Rise Against - The Sufferer & the Witness

As I quickly approach my 27th birthday (an age, coincidentally, that many musicians met their own mortality), I have been thinking about the role that music has played in my life. I have not played an instrument for nearly sixteen years and have never been in a band, but I would still consider myself an audiophile. The 26000 songs on my hard drive would agree with me as well.

Because of all those things, I thought it would be as good a time as any to compile my list of the 27 albums that most shaped these first 27 years of my life. Starting Friday January 31, I will be posting one album from the list every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday until we reach #1 just before my birthday.

Let me make one thing abundantly clear: I am not saying that these are the 27 greatest albums of all time. I am not so arrogant to believe that my personal opinion is the definitive voice on music. I like what I like. Hopefully you will be able to unearth some gems from my list. If not, that is alright. These songs and albums are important to me regardless of anyone’s opinions of them.

#16: Rise Against – The Sufferer & the Witness
Release Date: July 4, 2006
When I first heard the album: January 2007, January 2008

Why I loved it then: With everything that I endured in 2005 and 2006, I was looking for something with a little bite. I found Rise Against and the post-hardcore genre as a result of my WWE fandom. And believe me, if you get close enough, Rise Against will bite your face off. They’ve never been afraid to tell you how they feel about things (especially politically), and Tim McIlrath sings with such emotion and fervor that you will feel like you’ve taken a beating after a while. Back then, though, I was drawn to the album because of the driving songs and relatable lyrics. I heard “Survive” and fell in love and have stayed in love ever since.

Why I still love it now: Rise Against has become one of my five favorite bands in the entire world. They are not and never have been afraid to tell it like it is. If you could define the notion of “never backing down” by a sound, it would be Rise Against. As you will see, this album is not my favorite of theirs, but it did bring Rise Against into my life, and for that, I will always love it.

Lingering Lyric: “How we survive is what makes us who we are”
Top Tracks: Prayer of the Refugee, Drones, The Good Left Undone, Survive

Previous Entries
27. Avalon - In a Different Light
26. The Dangerous Summer - Golden Record
25. Just Surrender - If These Streets Could Talk
24. The Lumineers - The Lumineers
23. Relient K - Two Lefts Don't Make a Right... But Three Do
22. Better Luck Next Time - Third Time's a Charm
21. Linkin Park - Minutes to Midnight
20. ZOEgirl - Life
19. My Chemical Romance - Welcome to the Black Parade
18. Anberlin - Blueprints for the Black Market
17. Bright Eyes - I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning