With the release of their eighth studio album this past July, Rise Against proves that although they first came onto the scene in the late 90s, they are still as relevant in punk rock as ever.
This rock group is well known for their powerful lyrics and distinct sound, and I believe fans were not disappointed with the most recent of albums, The Black Market. The album is pure bliss to any Rise Against junkie — a solid mix of hardcore guitar riffs and drums, an incredibly catchy chorus with a punch, powerful lyrics, and the instantly recognizable voice of Tim McIlrath.
Like many albums before, Rise Against keeps one of the main themes in The Black Market about government corruption. The band’s song titles and lyrics are well known for their strong messages of anti-government and the underappreciated workers in society. The album strips down to acoustics with the song People Live Here, but the anger and passion remains strong even without all of the riffs.
I had the privilege of seeing this band live last weekend at the VooDoo Music and Arts Experience in New Orleans. And if I could only say one thing about their performance, it is that they did not disappoint. The energy in the crowd was contagious; everyone was either head banging or jumping into a mosh-pit. The band played a mix of popular and less known songs from many of their albums. A few of the songs played were Reeducation Through Labor, I Don’t Want to Be Here Anymore, and Help is On the Way.
Rise Against are also veterans in the activism community, and before dedicating Help is On The Way to New Orleans, lead man Tim talked about how the band saw first hand how the Louisiana wetlands are so quickly deteriorating, and how the audience could check out some organizations at VooDoo who are doing their part in saving them. They then closed out their far too short hour long set with one of their most popular songs, Savior.
Rise Against is a band of the ages; with eight albums under their belt, the band stands firm in the expression of their beliefs and continues making their signature punk-rock music with a message in The Black Market.