Rising Elijah “Shoot Em Down”

Loud carnal noise is the first element of excitement we encounter in the new single from Rising Elijah, “Shoot Em Down,” but as we listen on in the song, it becomes clear that pushing heavy riffs is only one component of their repertoire here.

 Where a lot of other rock bands have been reliant on big themes and over-the-top methods of bombast to get the attention of audiences around the globe in recent years, this is a band that wants to be known for something a little more signature, and their new single lets us know just how much they care about tonal presence compared to the competition. I had a feeling just based on the buzz around this band that I was going to be in for something pretty special in “Shoot Em Down,” but upon listening to this track – along with its parent album – it became obvious that the players behind the content are not the run of the mill rockers we’ve come to expect out of the American underground in the past few years. If anything, they’re out to pay tribute to the old guard with as much muscle as they’re able to put out in the studio.

The bassline is as heavy as a load of bricks, but it isn’t intruding on the guitar parts to such an extent as to warrant some separation from the drums. The mix is admittedly more top-heavy than what I’m used to, but this isn’t the kind of structure that requires a lot of bottom-end minimalism; in fact, quite the contrary. In order to get us moving with the rhythm of the music, this is a band that has to kick in the physicality with a lot greater strength on the opposite side of the glass than most of their closest rivals know how to contend with. It’s aggressive and a lot more imposing than what some might be used to hearing on the mainstream radio market, but that’s the charm of this band – they don’t care about the standard, but instead exceed it with a sense of grandiosity that used to be commonplace in this style of music.

This is the right year to be excited about rock n’ roll, and those who were thinking something different would be wise to go out of their way to hear the new tunes from Rising Elijah right now, as they’re undeniably some of the more insistent rock jams you’re going to find out of their scene at the moment. “Shoot Em Down” is a good example of this band’s prowess, but with just a little more tension on the front end of their sound, I have a feeling they’re going to win over just as many metalheads with their approach as they currently are disenfranchised rockers who need something just a little heavier to get into 2023 with. To me, this is a stepping stone, but it’s one you would have to be crazy to be ignoring right now.

Mindy McCall