Review Summary: A Fire in the Misfire
Nowhere Generation was a great album; the best iteration of Rise Against’s post-Appeal to Reason sound. But with it came the feeling that the band had nothing else to offer beyond the dynamic they had been carefully crafting for nearly 15 years and 5 albums. The formula had been exhausted.
Enter Ricochet.
This is one of those rare occasions where the talk leading up to a release is actually accurate. Vocalist Tim McGrath stated in an interview that, with this being the band’s 10th album, they felt this was a chance to experiment with their sound. And experiment they did.
Ricochet is an apt name for a few reasons. It feels like the band loaded a shotgun of musical ideas they wanted to go for and started firing wildly. Just listen to the first 3 tracks. Opening with
Nod, your standard RA fair with vocals mixed in a laundry machine, followed by
All I Want with its echoey vocals mimicking Turnstile, then landing on
Ricochet, the most experimental soft track Rise Against has ever attempted with vocals recorded after McGrath seemingly swallowed sandpaper.
In case it’s unclear, the vocals are horrendous. Throughout the album, lead and backing vocals are distorted in a way that they act almost as a complementing instrument to the crunchy guitar tone. This wouldn’t be so bad except that they’re literally ricocheting off each other. Backing vocals are often, purposefully, out of tune with the lead vocals. It’s a baffling decision. Worse still, this is easily McGrath’s most impassioned vocal performance in well over a decade. There are choruses and bridges showing a ferocity and range not heard since The Sufferer and The Witness. The bewildering mix ensures that many won’t go through the effort of finding these moments of excellence. It all just sounds amateurish like the sound of a punk band just starting to find their footing rather than seasoned professionals.
And that just might be the point; the experimentation illicits a feeling of youthful vigor. Ricochet as a whole sounds like it was recorded by a band without scruples. This is what young, raw and rebellious bands sound like, mistakes and all; just a group of kids with something to say jamming out in the garage.
Forty Ways is one of the best examples. Guitarists are channeling their inner-GNR throughout the chorus, the bass line chunky and audible, and it all climaxes in bridge that earns its devil horns.
Color this listener flummoxed. Richochet is ostensibly awful and awesome. It tears down RA’s formula and throws in baffling songwriting choices, experimenting in a way I doubt any fan will expect or accept. But there is a fire here. Not a single member is on autopilot and there’s a passion to the music that hasn’t been present in nearly 20 years. Whether it’s the bold scale of
Black Crown or the final 3-song stretch with
Prizefighter closing out the album, there are rewards for patient listeners in the form of the best moments crafted in the RA’s long career. Burning bright, these moments light a promising path. A stumble in the right direction is still a step forward.
