DreamWorks acquired by Universal Music Group

The band went into the album with the assumption that DreamWorks was going to drop them at any moment, so they wanted to take advantage of the opportunity by working with their “dream producer”. They chose Garth Richardson , who was known for his work with heavier sounding bands like Rage Against the Machine and Sick of It All. While writing songs for the album, Rise Against’s lineup once again changed; Mohney quit, and was replaced by Chris Chasse of the band Reach the Sky . The recording sessions for Siren Song of the Counter Culture were marred by numerous distractions and inconveniences, the biggest of which was the transition from DreamWorks to Geffen Records . In November 2003, DreamWorks was acquired by Universal Music Group , and eventually merged with Geffen. The transition period between labels left Rise Against without an A&R representative, and little acknowledgement from Geffen executives.