Music reviews. CD reviews. Critically hip!

I never saw the HBO “Paradise Lost” special when it first aired, so I can’t claim to have been there since word first became public.  I did, however, get an earful of another compilation a couple years ago that featured some heady musicians of varied genres making a bold statement against the perceived injustice that had taken place here.  But hell, I’m past my teen years where I might get chastised for going out in public with long hair, ripped jeans and an Ozzy shirt… right?  

Regardless, age has nothing to do with it.  Something about deviation from the norm… but then those of the backward Bible belt mentality obviously play with a different deck then the rest of the civilized world, right?  But Facts are facts and numerous studies have shown these three guys, out of West Memphis, AK, of minimal intellect and even less so a voice, were guilty of murdering three kids by a hung jury.  Do I know the facts?  No.  But I’ll do more digging.  I’m going by what I’ve seen and what I’ve heard within music spheres and to think that something like this could still happen in this day and age is outright silly and stupid but it does get you thinking.  Well it moved Henry Rollins, one of Rock’s most prolific voices at getting the message out loud and clear, to do something to make a difference.  

So Rise Above, then, goes that much further than your average compilation record.  Take one of the all-time great American Punk bands that to this day still doesn’t receive enough credit, rework 24 classic tunes, recruit the best of the underground, funnel the funds to the WM3’s defense, and Rise Above can’t help but open some eyes and bleed a few ears.  Back up, shield your eyes, and choke on the full volume of those exhumed gems many a fan has fought so long for!  For back up, Rollins’ own group, aka, Mother Superior, does all the instrumentation, and who better?  

A stronger rhythm section you’ll never hear.  Big H went through hell and then some in the recruiting process but in the end came off with an unbeatable combination of Ol’ school vets and Nu-school voices to chew up and chuck the Flags’ vintage cuts like the obvious opener, “Rise Above,” delivered by Rollins and Chuck D, before giving way to original BF frontman Keith Morris tearing it up on the classic “Nervous Breakdown”, while everyone’s favorite Iggy flies through “Fix Me”; Jeff Moreira of the heavy and happening Poison The Well does a take on “I’ve Heard It Before”; Slipknot’s Corey Taylor lets the spit fly on “Room 13,” while Mike Patton does blazing version of “Six Pack” and The mighty Ice-T, a natural for “Police Story.”  

Then come two masters of Metal greatness back to back with Slayer’s still “undisputed” Tom Araya’s take on “Revenge,” then handing it off to Lemmy seconds later for “Thirsty & Miserable.”  Can’t say enough about the playing—if you ain’t heard these Mother Superior dudes yet, either backing up Rollin’s last few records or on their own, check ‘em out and hear what Rock’s been missing all these years… better yet, think of the void G n’ R left when they disappeared a decade ago.  

Asking a Blues/Rock group to step in and magnify the speed and intensity to match the level required to pull off a record like this is no small task and these fuckers tear it up like they were born for it.  Rollins, with a few well placed backing roars, handles the rest of the vocal chores to finish in a flurry amongst this battered and bruised body of re-worked BF bombs concluding with a king sized version of “My War” where at the conclusion, all is as it should be—dead, and buried.  

There does exist a 24^th bonus track but it’s too late to turn back now.  Hear one of the best in the business—compliments to Greg Ginn—resurrected to be reviled by the “righteous” all over again… and that’s really what this is all about when the final screams fade away.  Learn more about what’s going on by checking out www.wm3.org.