Rise Against releases its sixth studio album, and keeps its strong sound alive.
Artwork by Ed Gloor
Despite being another cookie cutter Rise Against production, the album Endgame, which was released on March 15, 2011, will be a success among their loyal fans.
This 13 song punk album is good, and has deep and meaningful lyrics, and a powerful sound; typical Rise Against material. The music or meaning hasn’t changed much from their previous album, Appeal to Reason, which could be a drawback for some fans. I don’t like the fact that the band hasn’t changed its sound much throughout the years. I do appreciate the fact that Rise Against has its own distinct sound, and that this sound is what made the band who it is, but if the group changed it up every once and awhile, we would have a much more interesting band, and potentially it would be able to expand its fan base.
Despite making few changes, the band has still put out a fantastic album, with such songs as Architects, that questions the original punk rockers, asking if they still hold the same beliefs that they once did; Satellite, a song about fully experiencing life; and Survivor Guilt, a warning of forthcoming doom. This is not to say that all the songs aren’t good; they all impress. This is the kind of album that doesn’t lose momentum towards the end. Much to my surprise, End Game does not have any acoustic, or sobering songs, like they have had on previous albums, such as Hero Of War. This seems to work for this album, though; a slower song would cause the collections to lose its spark. The songs are all filled with deep meanings that can be applied to life and politics which, seeing as how the band is very political, is probably their intention.
Rise Against is a very political band, and openly expresses its political beliefs in its music. In the song Survivor Guilt, there is a conversation between an American and a person from a foreign country. They discuss the fact that America can be destroyed, just like every other super power before them, and the American disagrees. The band seems to be challenging the way of thinking of its fellow Americans, making the listeners realize that they are not invincible.
The group is also a part of Punkvoter, a political activist group. They also appeared on the music compilation, Rock Against Bush, Vol. 1. “Few things are more exciting than watching Bush finally release America as his eight year hostage,” said lead singer Tim Mcllrath.
Overall, I give this album a four stars. The message is strong, the music is fantastic, but I would like to see an update to the typical Rise Against sound.
★★★★☆
