The Unraveling - 2005 Reissue

2005 Reissue

On 23 August 2005, Fat Wreck Chords reissued The Unraveling on CD format and digital download to coincide with the band's fifth anniversary. It was remixed and remastered by Bill Stevenson and Jason Livermore at The Blasting Room in Ft. Collins, Colorado, with two bonus songs ("Join the Ranks" and "Gethsemane"), updated photography, and additional album liner information. "Join the Ranks" was taken from material written for the Transistor Revolt demo and featured on the Fat Wreck Chords compilation Live Fat, Die Young, while "Gethsemane" was originally featured on the compilation OIL: Chicago Punk Refined released in 2003. Todd Mohney plays lead guitar on Track 18 "Gethsemane" of the 2005 reissue, as the track was recorded after Mr. Precision's departure from the band.

The re-issue was met with positive critical acclaim. Critics of the initial pressing praised the updated sound quality, with Sputnikmusic's Damrod stating "Some songs sounded hollow, not as punchy as the newer ones did. This is something the band noticed as well, and decided to give this one an overhaul." Applebottom from Altsounds stated "this is such an amazing step up in quality," and that "... this is a must have for any fan of Rise Against. If you're new to the music of this band, I'd recommend picking up the remastered version of The Unraveling as it gives better song clarity and sound quality - not to mention the two bonus tracks." The Punkbands.com review stated that fans of grittier hardcore may not find the remastering as appealing, but "fans of may like this version better." Punknews.org's retrospective review on both versions gave the original version three stars and the reissue four, saying "even without the bonus tracks, though, this is the rare reissue that is worth rebuying and is absolutely the version you want to pick up if you haven't got it yet. Bill Stevenson (Blasting Room producer, drummer for the Descendents, ALL, Black Flag, and Only Crime) did an excellent job remixing and remastering this release. All the instruments are in the right place in the mix and the overall sound is now crisp and punchy."