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The Sufferer & the Witness

2006 studio album by Rise Against

Manuscripts, fine bindings, an engraving plate and preserved performance ephemera
Arts and lettersInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionJul 10, 2026
Entity authorityQ303144
Source-derived summary

The Sufferer & the Witness is the fourth studio album by American punk rock band Rise Against, released on July 4, 2006. A melodic hardcore album, it comprises thirteen tracks that focus on melody, catchy hooks, and rapid-paced tempo. Social and political issues as well as the concept of self-reflection constitute the majority of the lyrical content.

Dissatisfied with Siren Song of the Counter Culture's (2004) producer Garth Richardson, the band members decided to record their next album with Bill Stevenson and Jason Livermore, the duo that worked on their 2003 album Revolutions per Minute. The Sufferer & the Witness sold 48,327 copies in its first week of release, and charted in seven countries, including the United States where it entered at position ten on the Billboard 200. Critical appraisal was mainly positive, with reviewers complimenting Rise Against's ability to mature in its sound while simultaneously retain its punk roots. Reviewers also highlighted the vocals of singer Tim McIlrath and the production of Stevenson and Livermore.

Three songs from The Sufferer & the Witness were released as singles: "Ready to Fall", "Prayer of the Refugee", and "The Good Left Undone". All three songs charted on the Modern Rock Tracks chart in the United States, and accompanying music videos were produced. Rise Against supported the album with The Sufferer & the Witness Tour throughout the second half of 2006 and all of 2007.

Editorial summary

This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “The Sufferer & the Witness” as 2006 studio album by Rise Against. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.

Editorial reviewBest approached as a cultural-object dossier: authorship and date matter, but circulation and reception often explain the wider significance. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—2006, 2004, 2003, 2007—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 2006-07-04. The account is most persuasive where Sufferer, Witness and studio can be independently traced.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The subject matters to the arts & letters register because the source frames it as 2006 studio album by Rise Against. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.

Evidence profile

Attribution, date and provenance are strongest when supported by the original work, a catalogue record and documented transmission. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 10, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q303144. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2006, 2004, 2003 and 2007.

Critical limits

Rights, attribution and provenance may remain disputed even when a general reference summary presents a stable account. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Separate the work, its editions or performances, and its later reception. Catalogue records, publication histories and object files often preserve different parts of that story.

Best used for
  • Identifying works and editions
  • Tracing reception history
  • Finding collection records
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The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “The Sufferer & the Witness”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow The Sufferer & the Witness primary sources, The Sufferer & the Witness archive and Sufferer research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “The Sufferer & the Witness”?
  2. Where is authorship, date or provenance documented?
  3. Which edition, object, performance or recording is being described?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from The Sufferer & the Witness” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.