⟶ in the second half of the verse (and the bridge) the guitar strumming gets noticeably chunkier. it makes for a great segway to the chorus, where there's a lot of muting done ⟶ one of my favorite lyrics ever is in this song, and it's from the second half of the first verse that goes And if strength is born from heartbreak / Then mountains I could move / And if walls could speak I'd pray / That they would tell me what to do! it describes such a specific yet vague situation, that i still don't really know what it could mean... like the first two lines are just a very roundabout way to say that the narrator has been through a lot of suffering but the last two feels like the narrator is simply looking for guidance, and their only solace in the loneliness of their life is the walls of the places that imprison them (physically or not) ⟶ the second verse continues this theme of ambiguity, and (as an aside) has one of my favorite words in it, "save." not used as a verb, but as a preposition.
The Sufferer and the Witness is not only the best Rise Against album AND my favorite album in general, it's also just the best album of all time. Which sounds like hyperbolic exaggeration, but if you've ever listened to this album you know it's true.
It is the purest, most Rise Against record they've ever put out. I've listened to it probably a million times, and I'm still not over it. Some people may call that autism (and they're probably right) but I call it masterful craftsmanship and audiophilia. Catchy hooks and dramatic choruses? Fry screams? Octaves? Detailed imagery and political thematics with a touch of everyday despair (and impressively abstract yet poignant lyricism)? You name it. If you're a fan of melody, hardcore, the city of Chicago, suffering, witnessing, or white men with heterochromia, then this album is for you. And if not... what're you still doing here?
⟶Heaven Knows is one of the few songs pre-SSOTCC that has a music video. and even fewer featuring the appearance of (the short-lived) shaggy blonde hair Tim era,, gone but never forgotten ⟶ this song features one of my favorite Tim McIlrath screams ever, which is during the second verse: You're still searching for these answers / They're not inside your wrist! which is also a fan favorite in Rise Against spaces ⟶ i like how Tim calls them Neon grids of cities, instead of just cities
Broken English
⟶ the first riff of this song follows almost the exact same chords and has an extremely similar progression to another Rise Against song, Survive ⟶ i love how they blend these two idioms in the second verse (Let the blind lead the blind / 'Cause it's eye for an eye in your so called life) into one that both makes sense (and rhymes) ⟶ ive seen interpretations that the song is a post-9/11 anthem. and i think that interpretation is taking the lyrics too literally. it'd be odd for a song called Broken English to make a bush-esque american anthem whilst not bringing up the post-9/11 hysteria at all would be kinda crazy
Appeal to Reason is the fifth studio album by my all-time favorite band, Rise Against, and one of their most beloved albums by far. Honestly, I can see why. It's a more radio friendly version of The Sufferer and the Witness, and is almost always people's first introduction to the band. I'm no exception, either. Savior was the first Rise Against song I ever heard, so I'm guilty as sin.
This album, like most of their albums, is perfect and has no flaws (/hj) so I want to gush about it. If you'd like to scavenge around for on-theme graphics, fun facts, and things about this album that I love, scroll now! And if you're wondering where special edition tracks like Elective Amnesia or Historia Calimantium are, try the miscellanious page!
i fucking lobve this song so much i love the industrial themes i love the steampunk-y imagery AAAAAAAA i love it so much i made this painting from the lyrics (yes thats mine). it was one of the first songs that REALLYYYY got me into Rise Against. so heres some of my favorite parts of the song:
⟶ cool ass car metaphor in the post-chorus: White needles buried in the red / The engine roars and then it gives
⟶ the bridge has some super cool bug imagery: We are the insect in your ears / We crawl / We crawl / We crawl / All over you!
⟶ the guitar simultaneously has a repetitive marching beat whilst not being boring and has a lot of "moving parts" so to say since the inbetween parts are very varient.
The Dirt Whispered
COOL DETAILS !!!
⟶ in the first verse there's a line that goes: "She got down on hands and knees / One ear against the ground / Holding her breath to hear something / But the dirt made not a sound tonight" but i actually think she's listening for the vibrations that a car would make in a driveway, not a literal sound
⟶ also also, the detail that she would be holding her breath to hear better is an amazing detail that you don't even think of if you arent a mentally ill fanatic (me)
⟶ this song is something of a sister song to The Good Left Undone; they both have a similar vibe to them (what with the earthy metaphors for relationships and all) but are about two different kinds of relationships
⟶ there's a cool perspective shift that happens during the chorus, where the first two stanzas are from the womans perspective and the second half is from Tim McIlrath's perspective
⟶ during the bridge Tim lists off nouns— a destination, a fading smile, a station, a mile, a day gone —that describes the entire theme of the song in three lines and has a really cool poetic twinge
You're a very serious and quiet person, with a well-developed internal monologue. You examine everything that happens in your life, and are deeply affected by the problems of those around you. You are able to romanticize and appreciate the little things in life.
Title MakeDamnSure Artist Taking Back Sunday Released 14 March 2006 Genres Pop punk, emo Length 3:32 Title From the Start Artist Good Kid Released 10 November 2023 Genres Pop, indie-pop Length 2:31 Title Los Angeles Artist Sugarcult Released 12 September 2006 Genres Alt-rock, pop-punk Length 3:58 Title I Wish I Was A Riot Grrrl Artist Destructo Disk Released 29 December 2018 Genres Punk Length 2:26 Title Roshambo Artist The Network Released 30 September 2003 Genres New wave, pop-punk, post-punk, synthpunk Length 2:46 Title The Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny Artist Lemon Demon Released 22 December 2005 Genres Novelty, comedy rock Length 3:36 Title My Generation Artist The Who Released 29 October 1965 Genres Rock, proto-punk, power pop, classic rock Length 3:18 Title My Own Worst Enemy Artist Lit Released 14 June 1999 Genres Pop-punk, power pop, alt-rock Length 2:49 Title I, Pessimist Artist Alkaline Trio (ft. Tim McIlrath) Released 2 April 2013 Genres Pop punk, punk rock Length 2:10 Title Community Gardens (ft. Louie Zong) Artist the scary jokes Released 1 January 2019 Genres Synth pop, bedroom pop Length 2:44 Title No Rain Artist Blind Melon Released 1993 Genres Alt-rock, psychedelic, folk Length 3:37 Title Never There Artist Cake Released 27 September 1998 Genres Alt-rock Length 2:44 Title Paralyzer Artist Finger Eleven Released 1 March 2007 Genres Alt-rock, funk rock, dance-rock, hard rock Length 3:28 Title Lucid Dreams Artist Juice WRLD Released 4 May 2018 Genres Emo rap Length 3:59 Title The Taste of Ink Artist The Used Released 2002 Genres Alt-rock, emo, pop-punk Length 3:28 Title Everything at Once Artist Lenka Released 5 November 2012 Genres Pop Length 2:38 Title They/Them/Theirs Artist Worriers Released 7 August 2015 Genres Indie-rock, punk Length 2:19 Title The Red Artist Chevelle Released 2002 Genres Alt-metal, nu-metal Length 3:58 Title Punk Rock Girl Artist The Dead Milkmen Released December 1998 Genres Pop punk, comedy rock Length 2:40 Title Do It Faster Artist Militarie Gun Released 21 February 2023 Genres Alt-rock, hardcore punk Length 1:48 Title Pink Panther Artist Scene Queen Released 29 April 2022 Genres Metalcore, "bimbocore," alt-rock, pop Length 2:22 Title Apocalypticism Artist Moon Walker Released 20 July 2023 Genres Indie-rock Length 4:29 Title Youngest Daughter Artist Superheaven Released 30 April 2013 Genres Shoegaze, post-grunge, alt-rock Length 4:09 Title Kiro TV Artist Sneaker Pimps Released 20 January 2002 Genres Electronic, trip hop, dance-rock Length 3:43 Title Artist Released Genres Length
-->
Personal Identity
What’s your favorite hobby? i love DIY clothing alteration
What’s your favorite color? black and red
What’s your favorite animal? whale sharks, mexican red knee tarantulas, cats
Which is your favorite type of pet, dogs or cats? cats :3
What’s your favorite Friday night activity? going to shows, especially at bars
What’s your favorite way to spend a weekend? relaxing from my all-day shifts
What’s your favorite day of the week? tues/wed
What’s your favorite time of day? late night
Which is your favorite, sunrises or sunsets? both have their good qualities, but i like the feeling of sunrise more
What’s your favorite month of the year? october
What’s your favorite season? fall/spring
What’s your favorite type of weather? spring sun, where its not boiling and a little windy
What’s your favorite holiday? halloween
What’s your favorite place? the taco bell downtown
What’s your favorite room in your living space? i live in a studio so i only really have one option
What’s your favorite scent? espresso/latte/coffee in general
What’s your favorite type of car? old 80s toyotas with the square lights
What’s your favorite sport to watch on TV? football and hockey
What’s your favorite event to watch in the Olympics taekwondo (cuz i do tkd)
What’s your favorite board game to play? classic monopoly
What’s your favorite video game to play? currently yakuza 1 remake
Who’s your favorite person to go out of town with? my friends/brother
Who’s your favorite person to confide in when you’re sad? my brother
What’s your favorite quality to find in a person? humor
What’s your favorite quality about yourself? i try
Arts & Entertainment
What’s your favorite piece of visual art? anything by Margaret Kammerer
What’s your favorite type of visual art (photography, painting, sculpture, etc)? painting
What’s your favorite memory of going to a museum? i went with my friends to the museum of pop culture and they had these "sound rooms" where you basically got to play instruments with your friends and it was so fun
What’s your all-time favorite album? currently probably 16 stone by bush, but all time its probably american idiot by green day
Who’s your favorite music artist? currently its alkaline trio, but all time its green day
What’s your favorite genre of music? nu-metal
What’s your favorite song? currently its probably movin' right along by alkaline trio, all time is probably jesus of suburbia by gd
What’s your favorite song lyric?
What’s your favorite nostalgic song from when you were growing up?
What was your favorite song when you were in high school?
What’s your favorite love song?
What’s your favorite break-up song?
What’s your favorite song to dance to?
What’s your favorite karaoke song?
What’s your favorite guilty pleasure song?
What’s your favorite song that was released in the past year?
What’s your favorite movie of all time?
What’s your favorite scene from a movie?
What’s your favorite line from a movie?
Who’s your favorite actor?
Who’s your favorite director?
What has been your favorite movie theater experience?
What’s your favorite genre of movies?
What’s your favorite comedy movie?
What’s your favorite drama movie?
What’s your favorite animated movie?
What was your favorite movie as a child?
What’s your favorite TV show?
What’s your favorite TV show to put on when you’re sad?
What’s your favorite TV show to watch with friends or your significant other?
What’s your favorite play or musical?
Books & Literature
What’s your favorite novel of all time? almost perfect by brian katcher
What’s your favorite non-fiction book? serving the servant by danny goldberg
Who’s your favorite author? i dont really have one in particular, i usually just read books and find out about the author later. if i had to chose one id pick Rick Riordan because i used to love percy jackson books
Who’s your favorite fictional character from a novel? sage, the trans girl from Almost Perfect
What’s your favorite literary trope? friends to lovers
What’s your favorite quote from a book? "Nicole comes and picks him up in a couple hours. He lies and doesn’t mention Maria or heroin or anything, he says he bumped into Mark this morning and rode into Reno with him, then lost track of him. Mark isn’t answering his texts, James says. I don’t know. Nicole drives him past the gas station where he and Maria pulled over so he could smoke out. The sun’s on its way down but it’s not really dark out or anything and he’s thinking about whether they could pull over at the truckstop outside Star City where they went to on their first date. He wonders whether the yellow light and nostalgia can turn his body inconsequential enough to get hard. He wonders whether there’s enough room in the back seat of Nicole’s car for her to give him head."
What’s your favorite genre of books? realistic fiction
What’s your favorite fantasy book series? ehhhhhhh.....
What’s your favorite fictional world from a book that you would like to visit? metropolis/smallvile from the superman comics
What’s your favorite book/movie adaptation combo? American Psycho
What’s your favorite scary book? the original goosebumps
Who’s your favorite literary villain?
What’s your favorite guilty pleasure book? V.C. andrews
What’s your favorite book cover?
What was your favorite book as a child?
What’s your favorite place to buy books?
Where’s your favorite place to read?
Which is your favorite, hardback or paperback books?
What’s your favorite way to read, physical books, e-books, or audiobooks?
What’s your favorite kind of e-reader (Kindle, Nook, etc)?
What’s your favorite way to display your books in your home?
What’s your favorite poem?
Who’s your favorite poet?
What’s your favorite line of poetry?
Fashion & Style
Which is your favorite, cold weather fashion or warm weather fashion? i like the cold because of layers, but i like the warm cause i can dress slutty
Who’s your favorite fashion icon? nu-metal band members
What’s your favorite clothing brand? i dont usually shop by brand, but hot topic still has a lot of good styling pieces (socks, belts, etc.) although the goodwill i go to usually has them so i dont usually get them new
Where’s your favorite place to shop for clothes? goodwill
What’s your favorite shoe you own? my $400 combat boots i got for free when i worked at a shoe store
What’s your favorite accessory? jewelry
What’s your favorite piece of jewelry? chains and other silver stuff in general
What’s your favorite material to wear? FLANNEL !!!!!111
What’s your favorite pattern to wear? usually just plaid
What’s your favorite color to wear? BLACK !!! and blue/cool-toned reds
What’s your favorite place to get fashion inspiration? pinterest
What’s your favorite fashion trend at the moment? i love the short denim mini skirts i was seeing
Which is your favorite way to shop, in person or online? IN PERSON !!!!
What’s your favorite thrift store purchase? i recently got this fish cookie jar for $10 and im in love
What’s your favorite type of clothing or accessory to receive as a gift?
What’s your favorite hairstyle? i love a good mullet, but those jellyfish haircuts are cool too
What’s your favorite skincare product? pacifica sea foam face wash
What’s your favorite perfume to wear? i usually dont wear perfume, but i do enjoy some mens dove body spray
Caesthoffe (sometimes stylized in all lowercase), also known as Aurora or Rory is an American artist and online personality. They[a] are not known for doing anything important outside of the small community they occupy.
Caesthoffe was born in 2003 to a narcissistic mother and a father who was no longer in their life. They attended Hazen High School in Renton, and later Bellevue College before dropping out after their second semester. They've since taken many different retail jobs in the hopes of finally moving out.
Music career
Caesthoffe uploads acoustic covers of popular rock and metal songs onto Youtube[1] and less rehearsed/produced tracks onto Soundcloud.[2] On Youtube, they have amassed 1.6k views and currently sit at 50 subscribers as of 13 February 2024. Bands that have influenced Caesthoffe include Green Day, Rage Against the Machine, Rise Against, Nine Inch Nails, The Clash, The Smashing Pumpkins, and many of the grunge bands from the Seattle music scene. They've also been influenced by many of the local bands they've seen at smaller venues, such as sundogs (now Diazepam) from Las Vegas.
Activism
Caesthoffe has voiced support for left-wing political views and movements, and considers themselves an anarcho-communist. Raised by right-wing parents, they didn't question their political ideology until discovering online political communities on Youtube and Twitter. Left-wing content creators that were "more palatable" to a young conservative brought them out of the alt-right pipeline, and gave them the room to discover their queer identities as well. They support many different beliefs and movements including the freedom of information, the right to privacy, pro-piracy, queer anarchism, relationship anarchy, anti-amatonormativity, and more.
Entertainment
Whereabouts Unknown (or The Metal March, according to Tim) is the closing track of Appeal to Reason. it's one of the softer songs on the album, and closes the entire thing out on a shakespearien story of heartbreak. about two long forgotten friends, on opposite sides of the battle field.
there's a lot of poetic tragedy in this tale, and i think it especially shines through in the second half of the track. whereas the first part is mostly some exposition about the characters, the second half gives some absolutely fucking gut punches:
Another place, another time We toed the same side of the line Yeah, we saw eye to eye Even then the saddest sounds Were nothing laughter could not drown But we are not laughing now
I see your face In my sights I hesitate And then look for a sign Somewhere in the sky
the juxtaposition between the two is stark; firstly, he talks about his brotherly comradery. toeing the same line, seeing eye to eye, drowning their sorrows in laughter. the last line of the verse, though, brings us back to reality. the protagonist looks down the sight of (assumedly) a sniper rifle, at a friend he once loved and hesitates as he aims. i can't express how great this dichotomy is.
i also want to just higlight the chorus, because it's easily the most impactful part of the song. specifically the chorus after the bridge, the one that closes the track (and album) out. if the verses/pre-choruses are the sort of level headed commentaries on the state of their relationship, the chorus is a plea for the future of it.
Your whereabouts unknown Please know you can come home It's alright I long for the moment Our silence is broken It's all right It's all right It's all right
It's alright now It's alright now 'Cause all is forgiven If you could just listen It's all right It's all right
even though this song is inherently political, i do like how almost everyone can relate to this in an a-political way. not everyone knows a Christo-facsist soldier, but everyone has a friend that they've lost touch with. everyone has a friend they miss. the repetition of that last line, "it's alright," is filled with desperation but also love. and his final speech, about forgiveness, ends the story unresolved... which leaves the album with a strange unfinished feeling. like there should be more to listen to, more stories of love and war and the weird ways they intersect. overall, it's just a fantastic song and an incredible end to a phenomenal album.
