Album Review: Rise Against, 'Appeal To Reason'
One Of The Best Punk Albums You'll Ever Hear
Jun 5, 2009
Rise Against's fifth studio album, Appeal To Reason, was released in October 2008 on the Interscope label, marking the band's ascension from the underground into the mainstream.
The album followed 2006's The Sufferer And The Witness, the band's most successful album to date - however, the band's conquering of their own niche market in earlier years will surely be dwarfed by the mainstream potential of this outstanding album.
The Ideas Behind Appeal To Reason
With the band's previous two albums leaning more towards personal angst than political outrage, it represented a slight change of tack to name this album Appeal To Reason. The name belongs to an early 20th century Socialist newspaper circulated in America, and signifies Rise Against's ever-present concern with social and political issues.
The album deals with a number of issues in this political domain. Opening track Collapse (Post Amerika) focuses on the increasingly passive nature of America's people, while From Heads Unworthy indicates a furious disappointment with those in possession of political power.
The track is symbolic of the album's discontent with the Bush administration, a hallmark of many punk albums of the past five years or so, and is accompanied by other tracks in a similar vein.
One particular album highlight is third single Hero Of War, an acoustic number composed of equal parts pride, confusion and regret. The song confronts the issue of the Iraq war, delivering a damning political indictment of it via the medium of an intense personal story, an allegorical technique which is fast becoming one of Rise Against's trademarks.
The Music
Musically, the album moves Rise Against's sound slightly further towards the more mainstream alt-rock purveyed by bands like Green Day and Alkaline Trio, and away from the hardcore punk sound that had characterised their early works. This is no bad thing, however, as it lends the album a more refined and less raw aspect, adding to its emotional resonance.
Songs such as second single Audience Of One and album closer Whereabouts Unknown take a further departure from the punk sound at times, and allow singer Tim McIlrath free reign to showcase his amazing singing voice. Songs such as these are a must for future albums, as they help to distinguish Rise Against from the maelstrom of inferior punk bands whose lead singers possess no real vocal talent.
The band's ability to exercise their more melodic side is exhibited at times, too - tracks such as The Dirt Whispered and Entertainment experiment with a slightly jauntier, pop-influenced tack, while still maintaining the band's traditional intensity. This intensity is shown in outstanding fashion on lead single Re-Education (Through Labour), a rip-roaring outcry against the monotony of modern life, while Saviour tells a more personal story, but brings a scorching guitar riff along with it.
The Verdict
While some of Rise Against's fans will be disappointed at their departure from the sound that made them so popular among underground US punk fans many years ago, a wider audience will benefit from their accession into the mainstream.
Similar to the likes of Green Day, their music's progression to the top of the rock charts has led a new generation of fans towards their earlier work, and will breed new generations of fans for years to come. Appeal To Reason is an album good enough to ensure that anyone drawn in by its infectious riffs and passionate enthusiasm will not soon be putting it down.
