Rise

Recording information: Chango Studios; Crushtone Studios.
Lodi, California-based post-hardcore unit A Skylit Drive returned with their fourth album, Rise, following 2011's Identity on Fire and massive amounts of touring in its support. Long-term lead guitarist Joey Wilson quit the band during the recording of Rise, but the rest of the band continued on without him, working with producer Cameron Mizell as well as writing with Hoobastank/Alien Ant Farm contributor Jim Wirt. A stop-gap single, "Fallen," was released to much fanfare on the band's YouTube channel in late November of 2012, as it would be almost a full year before Rise was made available to the public. Despite the wait, the album sold over 10,000 copies in its first week of sales, making it the band's most successful release to date in terms of initial sales. ~ Fred Thomas