Appeal to Reason

iTunes Review

In the more intense moments of their fifth studio album (and first with guitarist Zach Blair), Rise Against contrast angry, outraged lyrics with the kind of melodic hardcore that can appeal to both mainstream music fans and those who champion the underground. Appeal To Reason ignites with "Collapse (Post-Amerika)," a fist-pumping, high-energy anthem railing against the George W. Bush administration's occupation in Iraq. You can envision the veins pulsing in the forehead of frontman Tim McIlrath as he furiously sings, "This is cardiac arrest/ Of a world too proud to admit our mistakes." In the driving "Long Forgotten Sons" McIlrath pleas for kids to eschew the trappings of apathy, "We'll never fall if we stand for something." Things get post-apocalyptic and huge with the towering "Re-Education (Through Labor)" as he sings about a not-too-distant future where Americans are forced to live like parasites, feeding off scraps of the powerful. In the spirit of protest folk "Hero Of War" is a gripping acoustic narrative that paints torturous and murderous imagery of soldiers committing war crimes. "Audience Of One" is the album's deviation – a catchy, power-balladeering serenade that stands apart from the melodious angst.