Rise Against-Appeal to Reason
Interscope
October 7, 2008

Rise Against is a very formulaic band, very rarely pulling out a wild card or an ace in the hole. They are a talented group of musicians, and they have been giving listeners a first hand view of their vision since their inception. The songs have changed, but they've never strayed far from the driving melodic punk rock that they initially released years ago with The Unraveling. They are able to play this formula while keeping things sounding fresh and enjoyable album after album.

Appeal to Reason is no different from their other work. Their tempos have gone more in the mid paced direction, but the choruses, which has always been their forte, are as strong as ever. This gives them that mainstream/underground crossover appeal that will make nearly anyone listening to them gain an instant familiarity. Mainstream radio fans will mostly enjoy what the radio stations tell them to like (i.e. singles). Long serving Rise Against fans may be a little put off (at first) about the lack of speed on here and how it seems geared for rock radio breakthrough, but there are more than enough moments to erase that thought from the minds of most (except the super cynics).

I don't know where this ranks on my Top Rise Against Albums, but it really doesn't matter. Its worthy of repeated listens, and I think there are enough songs on here that could be potential radio singles, keeping them in the minds of people pretty consistently until their next release.

Written by: RF
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