Tag: Rise
0 Skillet – Rise (2013)
Coming off the very strong and very fabulous Awake, Skillet has returned with their latest rock record, Rise. Fans have been waiting for a couple of years to see what Skillet had in them for a follow up to one of their most popular (and fantastic) records. Well, we can all rejoice, because Skillet has delivered a record that is every bit as good as its predecessor.
Rise opens with the hard hitting, heavy sounding, title track, “Rise.” If you love a guitar driven, hard rock sound, “Rise” is going to put a smile on your face. The song is a great opener for the record and sets the listener up for the rest of what’s to come—hard hitting rock music with an edge. Keyboards blend with shredding guitar and some hard pounding drums to create a strong, forceful album opener. “Rise” is just a great track.
Pounding drums, wailing guitars, and a steady heavy beat isn’t all that makes “Sick Of It” a hard core rock song. It is also the lyrics and the message behind the song. Almost a modern day “We’re Not Gonna Take It,” “Sick Of It” could be an anthem for a whole new generation. The song screams sing along at a concert, with fists flying in the air. “Sick Of It” speaks to standing up for yourself and fighting for what you believe in. If you’re sick of…whatever…fight it and stand strong.
“Good To Be Alive” takes off on a similar message that “One Day Too Late” (from Awake) had, in the celebration of life and all that we have. A simple steady beat is the backdrop for lead singer John Cooper’s vocals, which are very strong on this song. And while the beat is simple, and the song is not overly complex, it is still quite amazing. “Good To Be Alive” was the first song that really grabbed me from this album and I found myself singing along almost immediately.
Skillet really hits a home run with “Not Gonna Die,” the best song on the album. This song has the perfect blend of guitar, vocals, anthem style rock, and overall fun. “Not Gonna Die” is a solid song that kicks off strong and immediate grabs the listener’s attention. It is also a song with deep meaning about fighting back and overcoming any challenges that life may throw. I always attach to songs like these because they are powerful in spirit, style, and substance. “Not Gonna Die” is no exception and I found myself hitting repeat several times.
And while the rest of the tracks on Rise are solid, it is these first four that pack the hardest punch. Admittedly, I spent much more time listening to these four tracks than I did to the rest of the album, but that’s not to say the rest of the album is weaker, because it’s not. It’s just that these first four songs brought so much enjoyment, that I could not help but constantly hit replay after “Not Gonna Die.”
Skillet has once again delivered a fantastic record that hard rock fans will be sure to enjoy. Packed with an edgier modern rock sound and guitar solos galore, Rise is sure to please fans of both the modern rock genre and the old school rock style.
Rating: 
Out of 10
Track Listing:
- Rise
- Sick Of It
- Good To Be Alive
- Not Gonna Die
- Circus For A Psycho
- American Noise
- Madness In Me
- Salvation
- Fire And Fury
- My Religion
- Hard To Find
- What I Believe
Skillet Is:
John Cooper – Bass, Lead Vocals
Korey Cooper – Rhythm Guitar, Keyboards
Jen Ledger – Drums, Vocals
Seth Morrison – Lead Guitar
Reviewed by Ryo Vie
0 New Video – The Answer With the Ulster Orchestra Performing “Rise”
The Answer has released a new video of their live performance playing their new song “Rise” with the Ulster Orchestra.
This footage captures a unique moment in the band’s history. It is the Answer’s first show with a full 70 piece orchestra, and it’s also the first time they played this version of the song live before.
The Answer’s Rise EP is available for Pre-Order at this link.
1 RISE, THE NEW ICARUS WITCH CD, DROPS JULY 3 ON CLEOPATRA RECORDS
On July 3, Cleopatra Records will release the fifth studio record from Pittsburgh, PA-based melodic metallers Icarus Witch. RISE is an epic twelve-track display of songwriting and musicianship from one of the most-watched heavy music bands of the decade.
From the driving, anthemic “(We Are) The New Revolution” to its equally commanding following track “Rise,” Icarus Witch demonstrates impeccable harmonies, head-spinning dual guitar work, and hammering rhythm. Lyrically, the band is digging deep into themes of control (loss of, and taking it back), empowerment (within and without), and faith (and keeping it).
Says Jason Myers, “On RISE, all restrictions of what we could or could not do were removed. The result is a completely fresh approach, new territory being explored, more diversity, better energy, by far the biggest progression in songwriting in the band’s history. This album took courage to create. We certainly didn’t take the safe or expected route and know that we’re rolling the dice with some bold moves.” Continues Tom Wierzbicky, “This was a very unique album that we put together. There were times where you would be pulling from the other side of the spectrum, sometimes taking yourself out of your comfort zone.”
By supporting artists as diverse as Black Sabbath, Paul DiAnno (as backing band as well), Cinderella, Twisted Sister, Otep, Doro, Fuel, and Coheed & Cambria, Icarus Witch has earned a large international fan base that consists of hardcore headbangers, hip art rockers, and indie kids. In August, the band launches a tour with Earache Records’ White Wizzard and Pure Steel artist Widow.
9 – The Riot Room – Kansas City, MO
10 – TBA – Minneapolis, MN
11 – MoJoe’s – Joliet, IL
12 – TBA – Detroit, MI
14 – TBA – Ottawa, ON
15 – Katacombes – Montreal, QC
16 – Wreck Room – Toronto, ON
17 – Broadway Joe’s – Buffalo, NY
18 – The Studio @ Webster Hall – New York, NY
23 – Kingdom – Richmond, VA
24 – Berkeley Cafe – Raleigh, NC
25 – The 120 Tavern – Atlanta, GA
Since their debut in 2003, Icarus Witch has inspired the enthusiastic endorsements like “one of the best bands to carry the standard triumphantly into the future!” from Metal Hammer. Heavy-hitters from the melodic rock and metal worlds have guested on past Icarus Witch albums, including Joe Lynn Turner (Deep Purple/Rainbow), George Lynch (Dokken/Lynch Mob) and Michael Romeo (Symphony X). On RISE, the band stands on its own debuting a new vocalist, drummer, and second guitar player, which heralds a new era with a big, boldly fresh sound that Don Jamieson (That Metal Show) has called “KILLER! A great sign of things to come.”
Icarus Witch is Christopher Shaner (vocals), Quinn Lukas (guitar), Dave Watson (guitars/keys), Jason Myers (bass), and Tom Wierzbicky (drums).
RISE Track Listing:
1. The End
2. (We Are) The New Revolution
3. Rise
4. Asylum Harbour
5. Coming Of The Storm
6. Tragedy
7. Say When
8. Break The Cycle
9. Nothing Is Forever
10. Pray
11. In The Dark
12. Last Call For Living
“Rise” streaming track
https://soundcloud.com/spinner-pr/rise-icarus-witch-from-rise/s-2g1Cu
RISE album trailer
RISE was produced by Dave Watson (Mantic Ritual, Argus) and mastered by Mark Richardson (Baroness, The Black Keys).
2 BROOKLYN ROCKERS BLACK WATER RISING FILE TEN MILLION DOLLAR LAWSUIT AGAINST THE NEW JERSEY DEVILS
FRONT MAN ROB TRAYNOR SPEAKS OUT ON LAWSUIT As reported on page ten of today’s New York Post, Brooklyn, New York’s BLACK WATER RISING have filed a multi-million dollar copyright infringement lawsuit against the New Jersey Devils.
The text of the article can be found below as well as at: https://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/brooklyn/band_faces_off_against_devils_AWGk8mkBJvU30FoeTfD8IM
The leader of a Brooklyn band wants to stick it to the New Jersey Devils, saying the puck-heads stole one of his songs.
Rob Traynor and the rest of Black Water Rising threw down the gloves and filed a $10 million copyright infringement suit after the NHL franchise allegedly refused to pay up for using “Rise” in a video.
Traynor’s lawyer, Wallace Collins, said the Devils “are stubbornly stuck on offering an insultingly small amount of money to settle the case.”
BWR guitarist and front man Rob Traynor released the following statement on the matter:
Around September 2010 I received a text message from a friend of mine who was at a New Jersey Devils game informing me that the team was using our song “Rise” as their entrance/introduction music. I immediately assumed that this was a random play probably spun by the stadium DJ and really thought nothing of it. I gave my friend a return call and he explained the context in which it was used so I decided to do some investigating.
First, I posted the news on Facebook and got a bunch of responses from Jersey fans that informed me they too witnessed the same at a Devils game. It seemed that “Rise” was being used as their 2010, 2011 intro music for their “Devil’s Army Rise Up!” campaign to rally the fans and team. The band and I were excited to say the least, but we were also a little shocked because no one ever reached out to the band to inform us that they were interested in using the song. I am well aware of the laws of copyright and being a member of ASCAP I know about “blanket licenses” that are given to large public venues like the Prudential center where the Devils play, who pay a yearly sum of money to play music from the ASCAP catalogue of which BWR is a part. The music gets played and ASCAP pays the artist a royalty for the public performance of the music, this is basically how it works. But, upon further investigation into the matter I found a video on their official website that also used the song to promote the team, and it was this promotional video that was playing above the ice on giant screens every night the game began, and gave the band no credit at all. This type of usage is not covered under any blanket license and needed to be cleared by the copyright holder, me. The use of a song in a video/movie format needs to be covered by what is called a sync license for a “dramatic performance.” The song “Rise” is being used as part of their marketing campaign of which they make millions of dollars without so much as a phone call to ask if BWR wanted to be a part of it! This constitutes blatant copyright infringement. Besides total disregard for permission to use the song, the band was not even given credit in the stadium, so no one but a few fans knew who the music was by. Hence, BWR had nothing to gain from its use and this upset me to say the least.
Yes, I was excited and honored that a big corporation would want to use my music. But, I was angered that it was used without my permission, in defiance of copyright law, and for monetary gain. I guess they assumed that since we weren’t a famous band they could do what they wanted with the song and us little saps would scurry away with our tails between our legs, just happy that they were using it. Wrong!
At first, we decided to approach this situation in a positive way by trying to reach out to the Devils camp and by putting out a press release letting people know they were using the song “Rise.” After all, they weren’t even giving us credit in the stadium and we wanted people to know who the song was by. I attempted to reach out to the NJ Devils camp in good faith with numerous phone calls, but got the runaround over and over again. Finally, after about a month and a half of phone calls I decided to get a lawyer involved who served their legal department with our complaint (cease and desist). To this, they responded. I was put in contact with one of their attorneys and we discussed how we could make this a mutually beneficial situation. After agreeing on what seemed at the time a “fair promotional package” for the band, I was told that their marketing department needed to review the terms and they would draft a license within the week for me to review.
One week turned into two, two into a month, one month into two months, and so on. All the while still using the song and ignoring the numerous phone calls I was leaving trying to find out where this “agreement” was. The hockey season was drawing to a close with still no response. After 10 months I decided to get another attorney (Wallace Collins ) involved and this time took the situation to another level by filing a suit to defend my copyright.
My music was basically stolen and put to work by a corporation for their monetary gain. They used my song to rally their team and fans before every home game and didn’t even bother to credit the band. They dismissed and ignored my honest attempts to rectify the situation in the hopes that I would just go away. They banked on the hope that I would become discouraged and lack the means to file a suit against them, and they would get a free song out of the deal.
To me this is actually rather sad, that a corporation as big as the New Jersey Devils would show such blatant disregard for the copyright of a struggling artist and treat us as if we were insignificant pests, unworthy of their attention, after they basically stole my music. I wonder if Metallica would have a problem like this? It seems to me just another example of corporate greed. I’m not going away and I will defend my rights.
The ironic part about this whole thing is that the song “Rise” is about standing up to those that would hold you down. Life imitating art?
We would also like to make it clear that this statement is in no way directed at the players of the New Jersey Devils team who we are sure had absolutely no involvement or knowledge concerning this matter.
We appreciate the support of our fans and wanted to make a personal statement on this matter as it goes to the press and the public.
Thanks.
Rob Traynor
Vocalist / Guitarist for the band Black Water Rising
Writer and Copyright owner of the song “Rise”
For More Information on BLACK WATER RISING visit:
