January 17, 2012 Was Rise Records Day

Two very highly anticipated albums were recently released on January 17, 2012. The first album released was by Attack Attack! The band that was formed in 2005 by Austin Carlile (now Of Mice & Men) and Johnny Franck (now The March Ahead) released their third full length album entitled This Means War. Most bands would have crumbled when their two front men left the band, but Caleb Shomo took the reins of the band and did what most 19 year olds could not do; step up to the plate and deliver a head-banging album. This is the first album in which Shomo does both clean and unclean vocals and most would agree that he does not disappoint. The album contains 10 songs including the previously released song The Motivation. This album is much heavier than anything the band has ever produced but it still contains the heavy bass drops and catchy courses that we have all come to know and love from Attack Attack! This is an album that not only Attack Attack! fans will love but that metalcore fans will fall in love with as well. The band is currently headlining the This Means War tour to support the album. I give this album an 9 out of 10.
The second album released on January 17, 2012 was the debut album by Secrets entitled The Ascent. The band that recently signed to Rise Records in 2011 is not very well-known but will most definitely gain recognition from this album release. The Ascent contains 11 songs including the digitally remastered versions of their previous demos 40 Below, Somewhere In Hiding and The Oath. Anyone that does not know this band will definitely dig their style. Unclean vocalist Xander Bourgeois pounds out intense screams while clean vocalist and guitarist Richard Rogers chimes in with a different style of vocals that makes the band's sound more unique than most of the generic bands on Rise Records. However the band is similar to others on Rise with their use of chugging guitar riffs and raging breakdowns. The band is on their first country-wide tour in support of Conditions, Abandon All Ships and fellow label mates Sleeping With Sirens. All in all, The Ascent was a very good start for Secrets who are most definitely in for a bright future. I give this album an 8 out of 10.