Rise Against, the popular hardcore punk band hailing from Chicago, provides in its latest release Appeal to Reason an album with shocking lyrical imagery, a high-powered mix of heavily distorted power chords and the maniacally angry voice of lead singer Tim Mcllrath.Rise Against remains true to its high-intensity nature in this latest release, and much of the instrumentation will sound familiar to any listener familiar with Rise Against’s prior hit album, The Sufferer and the Witness.
The band’s meaningful lyrics are always a welcome change on a music scene that is experiencing lyrical dystrophy, and Appeal to Reason does not disappoint.
Although this is not a concept album, Rise Against focuses many of its songs on the degradation of the individual by the mass culture.
The album offers a new batch of meaningful metaphors and direct descriptions that intertwine to tell the story of the helpless rebel waging a futile fight against the conforming machines of society.
However, Rise Against has already waged this battle against society in its previous two albums.
So in Appeal to Reason the band does expand beyond its usual confinements to socially conscious messages, and there are a few songs directed at relationships.
“Savior” is probably the best song on the album and will likely be a hit single in the next year.
The song exemplifies the band’s new focus. The lyrics examine the breakdown between two people in a loving relationship, and the desperate but ultimately vain attempts to save the love that has been lost.
“Whereabouts Unknown,” which is another song that might become a hit single, is definitely worth checking out.
The instrumentation and development is reminiscent of Breaking Benjamin at that band’s peak.
The lyrics are surprisingly vague, and therefore somewhat out of character for a band that at times can make Upton Sinclair appear obscure.
“Hero of War” will probably not make it onto the charts, but it is definitely the most shocking song on the album. It is Rise Against’s political statement against the Iraq war. It tells the story of a young man entering the army and being shipped off to war where he goes about abusing and killing the innocent, yet returns as a hero.
Although the production quality on this album is simply excellent, Appeal to Reason is not Rise Against’s best album, and quite frankly is far inferior to the band’s previous two albums.
However, any Rise Against fan will not be horribly disappointed, and will probably find a number of excellent songs to satisfy. In Appeal to Reason, Rise Against does not stray too far from the sound or image that continues to make the band one of the most popular modern rock bands.
