released The Unraveling

With their new lineup finalized, Rise Against began work on their debut studio album , The Unraveling . Recording sessions took place in late 2000, at Sonic Iguana Studios in Lafayette . Wleklinski served as an assistant engineer under producer Mass Giorgini , and later remarked on the grueling workdays: “12-hour days for 4 of those weeks, and then 22 to 24 hours per day during that last week of tracking. These were the times of ‘If you don’t play it right, you have to play it again,’ not ‘That was good enough, I’ll edit it so it’s on time.” The Unraveling was released on April 24, 2001. Although the album failed to reach any record charts , it did receive positive reviews from critics, who commended the raw and unadulterated music. To promote the album, Rise Against toured extensively throughout North America and Europe. While on tour, Wleklinski left the band due to several complaints from McIlrath. Rumor spread that Wleklinski was fired because of his long hair, although McIlrath derided these claims. Phillip Hill stood in as the lead guitarist while on tour, after which White returned as a replacement.