Review Summary: How do you follow up a popular and acclaimed debut album without being accused of churning out "more of the same"? In the case of Rise Against: 1. Write some killer tunes, and 2. Get angry. Really angry.
In recent years, Rise Against have gone from strength to strength. In the period since 2001, when they released their debut album
The Unraveling, and leading up to their highly-anticipated fifth LP
Appeal To Reason, they have achieved critical acclaim, commercial success (recent album
The Sufferer And The Witness went to number 10 in the US) and a ferociously loyal fanbase. In short, this band has been enjoying some very good times. Yet that might not be quite the impression that most people would get from listening to their second album.
For one thing,
Revolutions Per Minute is an incredibly angry record. Every song on this album seems to burn with fury at an unfair world, and at no point do the band stop to catch their breath. They hurtle through 13 songs (12 originals and 1 cover) at breakneck speed in just 40 minutes, kicking off with the intense
Black Masks And Gasoline. It's certainly a more political affair than many of their earlier songs, with vocalist Tim McIlrath proclaiming "So here and now in our rotting nation/The blood, it pours, it's on all our hands now." In lesser hands, such a declaration might seem trite, but McIlrath sings with such passion that it's hard to fault his belief in these words.
Politics, or at least a certain amount of hatred towards their current state, are a key influence on a few of the album's more aggressive songs, rising to a climax in
Blood Red, White And Blue. The song starts with an imperious riff, then surges forwards into a statement of furious intent against American foreign policy; "Would God bless a murder of the innocents?/Would God bless a war based on pride?/Would God bless a money-hungry government?/No." It's also refreshing to hear that, despite the weighty subject matter of the lyrics, Rise Against haven't lost the knack for either catchy hooks or blistering guitar solos that they previously displayed.
In fact, every song here contains something unique, or at least memorable, to get your attention.
Dead Ringer breaks out of its driving hardcore template just long enough to sustain an excellent chorus;
Halfway There features throat-shredding screams and guitars that sound like pure distortion;
Last Chance Blueprint gleefully samples the frustrated suburbanites of American Beauty before mapping out the ideal way to escape from your life.
Yet the best songs of the album - the ones that really stand out - are the two singles.
Heaven Knows starts with some impressively tight instrumentation from the whole band and offers up some great vocals, but the song really comes into its own when it reaches the bridge. Beginning on an ominous bassline, it unfolds spectacularly and builds to a fantastic climax as the band's twin guitars spiral around each other and McIlrath plaintively sings his heart out.
Just as arresting is
Like The Angel, a poignant tale of leaving someone behind that also manages to smuggle an infectious melody into your mind. When McIlrath sings "But don't wait up, just leave the light on/Cause all the roads that I might take will all one day lead back to you," it's a moment of happiness amidst the rage - a ray of hope shining through the storm. Along with the inclusion of a surprisingly faithful cover of Journey's stadium-rock classic
Any Way You Want It, it's a reminder that, despite the state of things today, Rise Against haven't lost their sense of playfulness. It's certainly refreshing to know that, despite all the aggression contained in this record, there is indeed light at the end of the tunnel.
Listen to: Heaven Knows; Like The Angel; Blood Red, White, & Blue; Broken English; Last Chance Blueprint
