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version seven. http://demongin.org |
Appeal to Reason (2008)
Rise Against
Impression published on Friday, 2008-11-14 | Album | 2 stars
This is a really good album. Which is, contrary to what you might think, probably the worst thing that could have happened to this particular Chicago band at this particular point in time. Once-formidable ass-kicker and Chicagoland native Tim McIlrath, having obviously lived in California for too long, has become, like all Californians, incapable of genuine outrage or despair: accordingly, he rarely challenges his own vocal and compositional limits on this record. The rest of his players have followed his queue and turn in very similarly satisfactory performances. It's one of the primary risks one runs when one allows oneself to become the lynch pin of any operation. The result is an album that is, for the most part, very listenable. And coming on the heels of two very exceptional albums (2004's Siren Song of the Counter Culture and 2006's The Sufferer & the Witness), a good album could deal a killing blow. A great band who puts out two great albums and then releases a dud wants to make a come-back. A great band who puts out two great albums and then releases a good album that does well... Well, that's what California bands do.
