If only "Revolutions Per Minute" had hit the shelves in 1997. Unfortunately, it's 2003 and in our modern punk scene saturated with would-be Saves the Day cover bands, the angst-ridden power punk of Rise Against probably will go unnoticed.
Without a doubt, though, Rise Against has delivered to the punk scene a stellar testament to melodic hardcore that deserves to remain in Discmans for many, many spins.
Kicking off with the powerful "Black Masks and Gasoline," Rise Against immediately brings forth an energetic sense of urgency equipped with a strong melody and a quasi-political tirade on the inconsistencies of our oh-so-popular government. While overtly political lyrics often can be disheartening, Rise Against projects their political agenda in a subtler manner than most punk bands by presenting the ideas in a more universal fashion, allowing individual interpretations for listeners.
Honing in on general topics like revolution and change, Rise Against avoids ostracizing listeners who have slightly different political views than their own. Strike Anywhere and Inquisition have presented songs that create these universal political themes for many years. Yet, Rise Against gives these songs their own edge by changing things up with lyrics like, "What did you have to say? / Give me your logic, your definition, the words to justify your position / Of mass starvation and blind air-strikes / Every problem solved with a fight" ("Blood-Red, White and Blue").
The album maintains this energy with "Heaven Knows." The song features an introspective view of the sociological pressures on the individual in our capitalist society. Flowing over a melodic landscape furnished by the aggressive riff-work of guitarist Todd Mohney, the song bounces between the fast-paced verse and the poppy chorus, creating an effective juxtaposition between punk and pop.
On the whole, the musicianship on "Revolutions Per Minute" seems much more focused than on their last release, "The Unraveling." Bassist Joe Principe lays down the foundation of each song with tightly-knit bass-lines which are both punchy and open to maneuver through the song without the constraints of doubling every chord offered by Todd Mohney. Brandon Barnes shows no mercy on his drum-kit, punctuating the songs with clever fills and keeping the energy peeked with abrasive punk beats.
Lyrically, the album floats between political messages and emotional escapes. Drawing from a past littered with socio-political confusion, Tim McIlrath struggles to find himself and keep his values among the hypocrisies of the American way of life. In the song "Like an Angel," McIlrath expresses his discontent with the norms of American life when he laments, "A beating heart and a microphone / A ticking clock in an empty home, still tells of these times so long ago / And even though I've come so far, I know / I've come so far and any day now I'll explode." McIlrath is clearly unhappy with certain aspects of society, and his lyrics present his discontent while remaining ecumenical enough for listeners to relate them to their own lives.
Another strong point of "Revolutions per Minute" is how Rise Against manages to keep the energy going for the entire album. The album is sequenced such that it achieves an overall tone, yet it avoids becoming repetitive with the band's unique perspective on song writing. Even though many of the songs rely on the standard verse-chorus-verse-chorus-breakdown-buildup-chorus format, they are written in such a creative manner that the formulaic song structure is virtually unnoticeable. Also, the album fails to grow stale because sequencing saves some of the best songs for the end, giving it a sense of build-up and climax.
Without a doubt, Chicago's Rise Against has delivered a beautiful addition to the punk rock genre with their sophomore effort, "Revolutions per Minute." Unfortunately, whetherthey are too late with this album to win over the fans that they definitely would have six years ago is a different story, but hopefully listeners will excuse their tardiness.
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