Rise Over Run Reclaim and Conquer

The first time I heard Rise Over Run, I didn't give much thought to them. They were featured on a Goodfellow/Sonic Unyon sampler (Strength in Numbers) that I received in a mail order for Shogun's "Iconoclast" about a year ago. To be honest, I was far more impressed with the Spitfire, Purity's Failure, and Every Time I Die songs than I was with Rise Over Run, which was like track 15 anyway. Heck, there was even a Creep Division song on there, so why should I pay attention to some band way at the end of the whole CD Well, a year later, I got my chance to listen to them in full. I came across Rise Over Run's full-length, Reclaim and Conquer, at an Unearth show in December. Trevor of Unearth graciously let me have a copy in exchange for my solemn vow to review it, as this album is also the first release from Trevor's label, Ironclad Recordings. And for a first time effort, this record is pretty damn good. From the tough-guy vocals to the relentless guitar and drum work, Rise Over Run have mixed that classic old-school hardcore sound with a copious amount of metal to create an album that is thoroughly enjoyable and very, very mosh-orientated. The opening track, "Confined Within Disease" (which follows an intro noise piece, "We are the Dead"), starts out furiously, sounding like very early Sepultura. However, about 30 seconds in, it sounds more like Bleeding Through than anything, with plenty of double-bass pedal and crushing breakdowns. And speaking of breakdowns, expect at least two for every song. Hey, ain't nothing like dancing yourself to death at a show, right "Reclaim and Conquer," the disc's title track, is a bit slower than the others, but it's no less devastating, and the shout-outs are just plain rockin'. "Lifted" brings out some of that tough-guy emotion with somewhat sappy lyrics while still assaulting the listener with breakdown after breakdown (and one of the fastest guitar solos I've ever heard). The last song, "Without Grace," the same one featured on the Goodfellow/Sonic Unyon sampler (minus an extended intro), is still probably the catchiest song on the whole album, serving up some very memorable harmonies and riffs. As a last note, Rise Over Run did officially break up not too long ago, so don't expect any mass touring from these guys. But hey, at least they were able to put out a nice full-length and a split record with Society's Finest before they disbanded. Bottom Line: Rise Over Run is definitely full of aggression and ill-temper. They bring the rock (and the mosh) like any other good metalcore band. Likewise, that's also their drawback, since it's very easy to write off ROR as a typical tough-guy band with mediocre lyrics playing an overdone sound. And in some respects, critics of this band (and genre) might be right. However, there's a lot more heart in this album compared to some of the shit that's floating out there in the hardcore scene, and to write off "Reclaim and Conquer" as average is a vast understatement.