I Rise has risen to prominence over the last two years due to intense, confrontational live shows that wonderfully showcase their brand of heavy `90s hardcore á la a less metallic 108. While they have their first official full-length, For Redemption., set to drop very soon, only recently did I finally get ahold of 2007's collections disc, Down.

The opener and title track is possibly the best song the band's written to date (well, not including the sessions for For Redemption., of course). As vocalist Nick Kantarelis stutters the title and guitars come slamming in, one's instantly reminded of Snapcase, and it's the most energetic and rambunctious they sound on Down; further songs more directly address I Rise's key influence, however. The newer tracks here are a caustic mix of frustration and keen observation, while they get political on "Darfur," condemning the common man's apathy towards such a crisis. The re-recordings of their demo tracks ("Burn," "Feared") are tight and flow perfectly within the newer songs as well.

Tacked on are the songs from the split with Soul Control and their four-song demo. In the liner notes, the lyrics for "Burn" and "Feared" are listed for both versions of each, which is sort of pointless being that none of the lyrics were changed on the re-recordings.

I Rise have managed to find a mid-tempo groove that works pretty well for them, and imaginably they've perfected it for the LP. But checking out the roots of it on Down sure doesn't hurt.

Burn (demo)
Feared (demo)
Realism (demo)
Rise (demo)

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Burn
Feared
Bleak, Blacked and Fake