Rise Against / Face To Face Split 7″ – The 7-inch split from Rise Against and Face to Face on Nashville’s Folsom Records is an intriguing prospect. The bands, with a mutual admiration for one another, got together to offer an interpretation each of each other’s songs. Face to Face takes on “The Good Left Undone” from Sufferer and the Witness, while Rise Against performs “Blind,” from Face to Face’s self-titled effort.
Face to Face has the better side of the split, for anyone keeping score, doing a fair job of taking a good song by Rise Against and making it, well, still pretty good, but in the Face to Face style. Rise Against likewise does a fine job with “Blind,” and Tim McIlrath’s tender vocals at the conclusion of the cut work well, but it feels like Rise Against never gets up to full speed. The band is just too reserved, and as a result, both “Blind” and “The Good Left Undone” sound like Rise Against songs without any bite. Neither of them terrible, nor are they groundbreaking reinventions.
It’s also hard to be fond of the artwork, featuring a dead-eyed prisoner with a hand holding a phone up to one ear and another over his heart (or maybe holding him back). The other side is similar, but with a dead-eyed man in a suit, rather than a prison uniform. There is no further insert, and it’s a shame, as it would have been nice to have some liner notes from the bands about the covers. There is also no download code.
The translucent yellow pressing I received though is limited to 1,500 copies. The split was also released on white (500), oxblood (1,000) and clear (2,000) vinyl. The vinyl looks cool, and the pressing sounds great; it’s just a shame that the covers don’t feel a bit more inspired.
Rise Against / Face To Face Split 7″
Review by: Bill Jones
Sound/Pressing Quality: 4/5
The Music: 3/5
Artwork & Packaging: 2/5
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