In August 2004, Rise Against released its major record label debut album "Siren Song of the Counter Culture". A sleeper hit in the United States, it was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America, denoting shipments of 500,000 copies. "Siren Song of the Counter Culture" success was largely due to the breakthrough single "Swing Life Away", an acoustic ballad that starkly contrasted the band's typical hardcore oeuvre. To promote the album, Rise Against embarked on an extensive touring schedule that concluded in December 2005. The next month, the band members reconvened and began work on their fourth album "The Suffer & the Witness".