Additional personnel: Chad Price (background vocals).
Audio Mixer: Chris Lord-Alge.
Audio Remasterer: Ted Jensen.
Chicago's Rise Against is a band that remembers the political roots of punk rock. Despite their alliance with a major label, they've maintained their all-important street cred and a dedication to animal rights, not to mention the fundamentals of their melodic sound. Despite their geographic locus, the closest reference point for APPEAL TO REASON is the Southern Cali style pioneered by bands like Bad Religion and The Offspring. The delicate state of America is addressed throughout the album's runtime, with the band comparing the U.S. to the flagging Roman Empire and stumping for social justice on impassioned songs like "Re-Education (Through Labor)" and the acoustic "Hero of War." APPEAL TO REASON is certainly edging ever closer to pop territory, especially on radio-friendly, slickly produced tracks like "Long Forgotten Sons" and "The Dirt Whispered." But still, no one will ever mistake it for The Jonas Brothers--Rise Against is merely growing up.
Professional Reviews
Rolling Stone (p.76) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "The politics on APPEAL TO REASON are more personal than those of most agit-punk bands. The ambivalent aggro-folk track 'Hero of War,' for instance, draws its lyrics from actual stories Rise Against heard from soldiers in Iraq."
Alternative Press (p.151) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "'The Strength To Go On' and 'Entertainment' snarl and growl just like Rise Against songs should..."
Kerrang (Magazine) (p.50) - "[A] collection of perfectly formed melodic punk songs about the environment, war and sweatshop practices, while the most powerful song is 'Hero Of War'..."
