I was a really edgy kid, at least in my music tastes. I can find no better example than this. In fact, I still come back to this album frequently because of how great it is.
Who is Rise Against?
There are plenty of people who have never heard of these guys. To them I explain Rise Against as such: imagine you live in an alternate reality where Green Day is good.
Why do I like this album?
Energy
It is really a high-energy album, making it great for driving, working out, or any time you need a bit of a lift.Range
There is incredible breadth to the album. There are soft acoustics, to semi-pop, all the way to hard, headbanging, rock. The first song I heard of theirs was "Hero of War" when I was at summer camp. I really liked it and bought the album on itunes (that was still common practice then). This is the acoustic song on the album. For one of the more upbeat, I would suggest "The Dirt Whispered"or "Audience of One". As far as harder stuff, there are plenty of songs to chose from, but I would recommend "Savior" or "Collapse". These songs will give you a good sense of what this band is capable of producing.