April 8, 2003 - Revolutions Per Minute

It's a double release day! On the same day as my last release and two years since their debut "The Unraveling", Rise Against released their second album "Revolutions Per Minute" on April 8, 2003. Lead guitarist Dan Wleklinski has left the band and he is replaced by new lead guitarist Todd Mohney. It's also the first album where lead singer Tim McIlrath also plays rhythm guitar! Rise Against are still playing punk-rock, but this album leans a little less punk than their debut and a little more towards radio-friendly rock. Let's see what the new album holds!

The album kicks off with "Black Masks & Gasoline" and it still has the fast-paced punk vibes we've come to expect with Brandon Barnes playing some super fast drums and McIlrath singing a fairly typical punk-y verse overtop (my head is still quickly banging along!) Joe Principe plays some pretty cool bass behind the fast, typical punk-y guitars and after a couple speedy rounds McIlrath screams a short but pretty sweet new part before they nicely return to the main riff to finish things off. A pretty solid opener! Up next is "Heaven Knows" and once again we've got a fast-paced punk-rock main riff with some cool lead guitar by Mohney and McIlrath sounding pretty good singing a pop-y verse overtop. After a couple solid rounds things slow down as Principe plays a cool new bass line to drive a new riff and McIlrath holds lots of long notes overtop that sound pretty good. Track 3 is just a minute and a half song called "Dead Ringer" and unlike the first two songs which leaned pop-punk at times, this one is hardcore punk all the way with a fast and decently heavy main riff by Mohney and McIlrath screaming harshly overtop, and his screams sound pretty awesome! This is definitely an early favourite for me, it's nonstop goodness for the whole short ride! The next track is "Halfway There" and the rhythm section does a good job of setting things up with some solid bass, drums and some cool rhythm guitar by McIlrath before Mohney enters with some pretty catchy and hard-hitting lead guitar. McIlrath sings a slow but epic verse overtop the much faster music, but it meshes pretty nicely. McIlrath holds several long screams in the chorus, showing off his great vocal range and heaviness, and the music is pretty cool as well! This is the perfect blend of accessible while still being hardcore, they ride the line very nicely and things sound pretty cool. Track 5 is the album's only single "Like The Angel" and it opens with a really cool bass solo by Principe before they move into the punk-y main riff with McIlrath leading the way with a nice verse. The chorus is super catchy and smooth so it's easy to see why this was the single and Mohney even delivers a decent little guitar solo! They end it as it began with the same cool bass solo and this was a pretty rockin' single! Up next is "Voices Off Camera" and it's got another fast-paced and punk-y main riff, but words don't do proper justice. It's a catchy and cool lead guitar riff, a nice fast rhythm section and some fast punk-y singing by McIlrath that fits the mood perfectly. It's a short song, but another solid one and there have been no weak ones yet! Track 7 is "Blood-Red, White & Blue" and it's got another pretty catchy and solid chorus riff, and then they dive into a super fast punk-y verse that sounds great with McIlrath nicely mixing in a few screams amongst his singing. After a couple solid rounds they slow things down and McIlrath yells a nice new part, then they end the song with a fairly long guitar solo and Mohney plays some cool stuff that fits the mood nicely and brings things to a smooth and solid finish. Another cool tune! The next track is "Broken English" and words fall short once again when I say it's a typical punk-rock main riff. Don't get me wrong, it 100% is, but it's yet another unique, fast-paced headbanger of a main riff and it's hard not to get into it! McIlrath sings a nice pop-y verse and the chorus is super catchy with a nice chorus sung by McIlrath and some really catchy and cool guitars. They briefly slow things down and McIlrath nails this slower pop-y verse with some smooth guitar and bass behind him. This one could have been a single in my opinion, it's really catchy and accessible, while still very punk-rock and cool! Track 9 is "Last Chance Blueprint" and it's got a slow opening with some girls yelling about how being a freak is a good thing, then they settle into a more typical jam with another fast-paced, punk-rock riff. It's got some speedy guitars and drums, some pretty cool bass by Principe and a nice punk-y verse, along with a couple nice screams in the chorus by McIlrath. They stick to the main drag and things are over after a couple short rounds, but it was still a good song. The next track is "To The Core" and it's another minute-and-a-half hardcore punk song with McIlrath screaming nicely overtop a heavier but still fast and punk-y main riff. They slow things down a little for the finish, but things still sound nice and heavy, a pretty sweet short song! Track 11 is "Torches" and Mohney leads the way with another cool lead guitar riff while the rest of the band backs him with another solid punk rhythm section. McIlrath sings a really great pop-y verse overtop and he mixes singing and screaming really well in the chorus. McIlrath is a commanding force this whole song with tons of good singing, and several nice screaming parts as well! This is what I'm talking about, possibly my favourite on the album! The final song on the album is "Amber Changing" and it's got a really fast opening riff, even for these guys as Barnes is playing some super fast drums and everyone else is giving it their all too! Once the verse starts things slow down to a cool stop-and-start main riff and they snap nicely into the speedy part for the chorus and McIlrath delivers a great catchy chorus overtop. They stick to the main drag for this finale, but it's a pretty solid main drag and it's short enough that I enjoyed it the whole way through.

That is the end of "Revolutions Per Minute" and I thought it was a pretty solid album! Rise Against definitely have a pop/rock/punk formula that consistently spits out pretty solid songs! I love it when Tim McIlrath screams, but they despite things leaning more accessible and less punk (for the most part) I thought the overall quality of songs was pretty high! I'd say it's even better than "The Unraveling", and I can't wait to see where Rise Against go from here!