Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Superb but more mainstream, 10 Jan 2009
As the reviewer before me said, this is a slightly more mainstream album than other Rise Against but that is one of its main strengths: It still addresses political questions (for example the anti-war 'Hero of War' and the superficiality of fame in 'Entertainment') but has a distinctly more catchy style - not to say that this is a weakness (although some fans felt let down when Rise Aganst joined a major label).
Anyhow, Hero of War is one of their best songs in that it is both reasonably simple but also has a classic Rise Against anti-imperialist theme. If you enjoyed Swing Life Away or Roadside you'll enjoy this (they're rather different musically but it's a similar style of singing and guitar)
Essentially you shouldn't expect the more hardcore political songs such as Give It All or Ready To Fall (in my opinion their best songs, especially the uncesored video for Ready To Fall) but you CAN expect classic Rise Against heavy melodic punk with a political theme, although with significantly less screaming than in previous albums.
Previously i had been sceptical about this new album but having listened through it five times or so I think it's among their best - think an entire album in the theme of 'Tonight We Dance' and you'll be on the right track for an idea of this album.
Four songs to listen to on Youtube that will give you a good idea about hte album: 'Saviour', 'Hero of War', 'Entertainment' and 'Kotov Syndrome'. Rise Against are probably the best melodic punk group around at the moment so definitely worth a listen if you're a newcomer. Even if you're into more hardcore punk like AntiFlag, Rise Against offer a more melodic and viable alternative (let's be honest, Antiflag DO try to cram far too many words into one line and their rhyme schemes are distinctly suspect!).
On a final note, Rise Against are actually more progressive in their thinking than most punk bands, again, using the exanple of Anti-Flag's 'one trillion dollars' or 'Angry Young and Poor' - they both address legitimate themes but they are entirely negative in their message, Rise Against encourage us to become more informed in our lives and to accept responsibility for our actions. To see a further example look up the video for 'Ready To Fall' which Tom McIllrath (lead singer) called their most important work so far...
Once again, i can't emphasise the ability of this band enough, the only reason it got 4 stars was in consideration for hardcore punk or early Rise Against fans who may find the more commercial edge less appealing, but for the everyday listener this gets a definite 5 stars!
|
|
|
8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Appeal To Reason, 6 Oct 2008
Rise Against for me have been one of the few punk bands of the past 5 years that still retain credibility. Ignoring the review below, I'm inclined to say this IS the most mainstream Rise Against have sounded. There are certainly more songs on this album that have big chorus with loads of 'woah' but hey, this is Rise Against so you know what to expect!
What this album does have over say, Suffer and the Witness, is experimentation. Every now and then there's a sample of 'thinking outside the box', much like the Offspring did in Smash. It's this ability to push the music about that make Rise Against NOT like every other mainstream band.
Stand out tracks for me are the singles (tracks 2/3), acoustic number 'Hero of War' and the outstandingly brilliant 'Entertainment'. The latter pushing 'Prayer of the Refugee' and 'Give It All' as best ever RA song.
The reason I only award 3 stars is down to the clear fact that RA are edging towards the inevitable mainstream boundry. It happened with Offspring, Rancid, Alkaline Trio and even Against Me. Some songs do fit into the 'standard RA sound' and could be one of any tracks off SS4TCC or TSAW. Let's hope the next album keeps this side of the fence and gives us more gleefully saturated punk.
|
|
|
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Get it now!, 22 Oct 2008
Having read several negative reviews about this album before its release date I pretty much expected it to disappoint.
The first two tracks are a predictable Rise Against sound and I started to worry that the reviews I had read were not far off the mark. Hell no! This album rocks! Some of it sounds slightly more mainstream than previous albums but the majority of tracks are lyrically brilliant and original. From Heads Unworthy and Entertainment are my out and out favourites but the whole album is well worth listening to, on repeat. Get it now!
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
~ Rise Against
~ Rise Against
~ Rise Against
~ Rise Against
~ Funeral for a Friend
