Customer Reviews

Rise

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Lots of mixed reviews for this album from the Bad Brains faithful, I think mostly because HR and his roaring voice is absent from this more mainstream production, and the fact that the usual hard/speedcore stlye has been toned - but not watered - down, into more of the mid-90's funk/metal/soul/ska sound -- a la Fishbone at their heaviest, or 24-7 Spyz at their funkiest (speaking of which, the line-up I saw when B.B. were on tour for this release included Rick Skatore from the 'Spyz, filling in on bass duty, and the show f'n rocked!).

For my buck, taken alone and not as part of the Bad Brains lexicon, Rise is a great disk, without a bad song on the entire album. The title trak rocks as hard as anything B.B. has done. The ska/reggae tunes don't have the usual heavy, crunching vibe I prefer, but the cover of Graham Central Station's 'Hair' is funk-rock heaven, and singer Joseph Israel's HR influenced growls are all over the place in 'Coming In Numbers'. The rest of the band is as solid as ever, especially Dr. Know's transendent sonic guitar work.

Overall, definitely worth ten bucks, even if it won't cause any riots in D.C.

bad brains great band i bought this cd recently and the lyrics are good but its not the greatest cd by bad brains. theres more ska than the usual hard riffs but still a good cd. kinda gets boring after a wile.
i recomend u get BAD BRAINS LIVE
or at least listen to I Against I before you turn this band down

Short and sweet: musically this thing rocks, lots of fast thrashing punk rock a few funkier numbers and some reggae for that palette cleansing effect. This is nothing that the Brains didn't do on previous and subsequent albums and sonically Rise is tight and powerful. Drummer Earl Hudson is absent and not really missed as far as I'm concerned. Mackie Jayson ex of the Cro Mags is a more than capable replacement, sorry Earl. However Joseph I is in no way H.R. and this is why I'm sure this album gets slagged. Joe does his best and I suppose that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and all that, but he just ain't the real thing vocally nor lyrically. Thank Jah H.R. decided to rejoin because the Bad Brains absolutely needed his peculiar form of front man insanity.

"Rise" is often overlloked by ans of the 'Brains older, more hardcore oriented material from their self-titled album through "i against i" This album should be given a few more listens and some reconsideration on their part. Although the music on this album is lower than their earler recordings it is still great all the way through with maybe one song that can be considered filler material. Standout tracks are: "rise", "miss freedom", "love is the answer" which is a great reggae track and "free".
I give credit to the 'Brains for another great album even in the abscence of H.R and Earl

The material is good, the recording is good, the performances are good, but that's not enough. This isn't the classic Bad Brains line-up, and that's obvious. The chemistry that makes the earlier Bad Brains recordings so compelling is missing. I would recommend "Rock For Light" or "I Against I" instead. "Rise" is only essential for the fanatical Bad Brains fan.

Of course this album isn't as good as other Bad Brains releases. Fact is, this is a great little record that never got its due. I don't care if it's HR or Israel I or Chuck Moseley or whoever. I don't care if Earl or Mackie is playing drums. The point is that the album was well-written, well-performed, and well-produced. "Rise" is a modern-hardcore anthem not atypical from something that would have been on their previous album "Quickness". "Hair" is a funny cover from the play/movie of the same name. "Love is the Answer" is one of their best reggae jams and utilizes quirky little noises under Israel's smooth flow. "Take Your Time" alternates between upbeat jazz-funk and sprawling power chords. "Unidentified" and "Peace of Mind" have some of the mathier passages found on any Bad Brains album. All in all, a good album that more people would like if they heard it.

As I have been reading these reviews I keep asking the same question, "Are they talking about the right album?" I don't get it. I love the Bad Brains, they easily make my top 3 of all time favorites, but I can't find anything good about this album. And trust me when I say this, I tried SO hard to find anything remotely good about this album. It just isn't there. I would highly recomment to anyone who is considering this album to stay far away from it.

I remember when it was first released and being completely blown away that I tried to copy everything Dr. KNow did with my own band. I think this album gets a bad rap because simply because Israel Joseph happenes to knock off HRs vocal styling. OK he's no HR but the songs are super stronge and solid! Israel does a good job laying it down and keeping it tight. There are alot of great highlights on this record. A good followup to the "Quickness" album. I'd go so for as to say MANY newer hardcore/metal bands today lift alot from "rise".

"Rise" is a textbook case of former members of a group using the name of their now-defunct band to cash in on that name. If some members of Bad Brains wanted to record an album without founding members ( of course most notably HR ) they have every right to. It's when they use that beloved band's NAME to promote the product that fraud has been perpetrated on their fans. After Ian Curtis' suicide the surviving band members continued to record with the NEW name New Order. That is simple ethics. If they recorded under the name Joy Division without Ian Curtis that would have been less than righteous.

Besides the questionable morality here, the music on this album just is not very good. At all. Stay away. There are many great "real" Bad Brains albums out there to enjoy. To name a few, try "Bad Brains", "Banned In D.C.", "I Against I" or "Black Dot".

This album is great all around. It has amazing production. Just to note somethings. The only reason I gave it four stars was simply because Israel Joseph lacks the harsness that HR has. However please do not get me wrong Israel has an absolutly amazing singing vouice. I believe if he was in this band before HR the album would of went further. Israel does have a great great vouice and packs a big punch with a wide range of notes in his vocal ability. However it's no doubt that the real showcase here is in the Doc. His guitarwork is probably the most brilliant on Rise and once again very influencial. I Against I and Rise while very different both were very brilliant. If you are wondering if you should buy this. Your not sure because you like the other albums but not sure if you will like this because HR is not on it. You have to get beyond the fact that HR isn't on it. At least realize that the Doc is. This album is very amazing. It has a good mix of metal tracks, ragae tracks, and punk rock tracks. Roll On Babylon is by far the greatest song on this album. Although my favorite Bad Brains albums that I own go in order 1. Black Dots, 2. I Against I, 3. The Youth Are Getting Restless, 4. Rock For Light, 5. Quickness, 6. Rise, this album is still great and should be owned by any fans of Bad Brains because if anything it has the best music ever wrote by the Bad Brains it's just lacking HR. Get it, own it, and love it like the rest!