Over the past decade, rock bands have threaded a fine line between public activism and commercial success. With artists such as Green Day and The Offspring milking the cash cow of liberalism, it’s important to have bands like Rise Against who truly believe in the causes for which they fight.

Akin to their contemporaries System of a Down and Rage against the Machine, Rise Against’s iconic style amalgamates the caustic qualities of hardcore punk with incisive political commentary. Formed in 1999, their messianic rise from the underground to the world stage came without the sacrifice of their principles or their trademark sound. Three years since Appeal to Reason catapulted the band into the mainstream, Rise Against return this year with Endgame; a veritable tour de force recalling the militant ideology of earlier efforts Siren Song of the Counter Culture and The Sufferer and the Witness.
 

The buzz of a baritone guitar opens proceedings on the anarchic opening track Architects; a visceral fist-pumping political anthem that sits comfortably amongst its seminal predecessors. Architects showcases a more refined and sophisticated side to Rise Against with frontman Mcllrath delivering his razor-sharp rhetoric in a new, optimistic tone.

While the verses present the perils of preserving the social status quo, the uplifting chorus casts an illuminating ray of light on the overcast cultural climate in which we find ourselves. The song addresses the self-fulfilling prophecy that is mankind’s impending destruction and looks towards the possibilities of regeneration. Mcllrath’s ultimatum hits home like an adrenaline needle to the heart: “Do you care to be the layer of the bricks that seal your fate, or would you rather be the architect of what we might create”.

Help is on the Way will infiltrate your subconscious from the very first spin. A natural sequel to 2004’s A Life Less Frightening, the track takes Hurricane Katrina and the Gulf Oil Spill as its tumultuous topics and derides the Powers-that-be for their slow response in alleviating the burden.

The song reveals the evolution of Blair and Mcllrath as guitar players with their interweaving lead and rhythm lines adding a whole new depth to the band’s signatory sound. Their quick-fire exchanges create a crossfire of electrifying riffs that expands exponentially towards the climactic chorus. The downtempo middle-eight section contains a poignant soliloquy that captures the sense of hopelessness felt by the survivors of these horrific events.

Make it Stop reveals the narrative quality of Rise Against’s song writing. The band possesses an uncanny capacity to thread a story through their glass-shattering sound, with each bar unravelling like a chapter in a modernist novel. Disparity by Design marks a return to their hardcore roots circa Revolutions per Minute with the song railing against the economic injustice of the contemporary American democratic system. While the all-too familiar structure shows signs of standardisation, the track still places the band in the upper echelons of the contemporary punk scene.

 

Midnight Hands marks a move towards new tonal pastures, finding a raucous middle ground between melodic Metalcore and Southern Rock. Blair channels the spirit of Dimebag Darrell into a series of chainsaw guitar riffs that buzz harder than punters at a Prodigy concert. The half-time chorus draws comparison to All That Remains and Killswitch Engage, while the swagger of the verses bears more than a passing resemblance to the whiskey-soaked sound of Bullets and Octane. Mcllrath’s guttural growls in the breakdown serve as a bona fide middle finger to the conventions of mainstream rock.

Survivor Guilt captures the political sentiment that Hero of War (Appeal to Reason) tried to deliver, hitting the point home like a gunshot to the forehead. The track encapsulates the archetypes of the East and West, opening a cultural dialogue between these antithetical worldviews and a solitary soldier caught on the battlefield. The hypocrisy of the current climate is epitomised in the simple statement: “I fought with courage to preserve, not my way of life but yours”. 

This is Letting Go emerges as the album’s arena anthem. Blair’s lead guitar work adds a supplementary melodic line to an already hypnotic track carrying the charm of the chorus through a series of bridges and verse sections. The song is perfect punk panacea that’s sure to leave a smile.

Title track Endgame draws the album to a close, driving the stake of social awareness deep into the heart of this cathartic collection. Mcllrath’s political rhetoric resonates long after the last notes of Blair’s guitar fade into the nothingness of the approaching silence.

Familiarity can breed contempt with artists often finding themselves in the unsettling no man’s land of indifference. Thankfully, Rise Against have created another seamless collection of political rock anthems that sits comfortably in their catchy canon. Endgame possesses an alluring charm that becomes more apparent with each consecutive play. Contrary to its title, Endgame is certainly not the last we’ll hear from this cage-rattling quartet.

8/10
John Ryan