Review: Rise Against - Appeal To Reason

15-10-2008 14:47

Appeal to Reason is the fifth studio album by American punk rock band Rise Against, and is the mature big brother of 2006's highly successful The Sufferer & the Witness.

Rise Against - Appeal To Reason

Rise Against are the official Kings of political punk and this album shows no mercy to the big wigs making decisions as the rest of us look on like herds of sheep. This album confronts this issues with the environment on the opener Collapse (post-Amerika), sweatshops - Re-Education (Through Labor) and most prominently, the war - in particular, Iraq - on Kotov Syndrome and the powerful Hero Of War.

Here we have a band who can rival Chester Bennington and co in Linkin Park with their sexual vocals, hook-laden anthems as well as sonically pleasing and socially conscious lyrics.

The guys have moved away from their signature fast-paced songs and teenage angst in order to serve up a more middle of the road speed in order to flesh out the actual vocal content.

The opener, Collapse (Post-Amerika) is the perfect introduction to the newest member of the band, lead guitarist Zach Blair and he smashes you right in the jaw with a spinning opening riff and guitar solo before Lead singer/ guitarist Tim McIlrath joins in the party with his ever delicious vocals as he keeps up with Brandon Barnes’ throttling drum beat.

Re-Education (Through Labor), was the much anticipated lead single from the album and clearly shows the bands natural progression into something far greater than ‘just another American punk band.’ This is a song that is going somewhere, you feel like you’ve hopped on a Rise Against train to a destination unknown, but is sure to be filled with anthems and rock hands.

Long Forgotten Sons has to be the best track on the record, with its pelting lyrics of courage and motivation; “Stand up 'cause the sky is turning gray / There's hope in these footsteps of persistence / So don't go astray / These lights get closer every day.” A track that makes you want to get up and take on the world single-handedly.

From the first beat of Kotov Syndrome, you know that this is a song responding to the social climate today and their hatred of the poor working condition of so many…“Ten foot walls built around us. White picket death.” Whilst the chanting chorus “Hey / Hey / Hey” proves that there are many more people out there who are just as frustrated at the state of the world today.

Skip To: Long Forgotten Sons

Verdict: 4/5

FemaleFirst - Ruth Harrison