Ah, Rise Against, also known as the token band for PETA and for having your favorite song in “Guitar Hero 3” If you’re over the age of twenty-five or so, you probably can recall a time when Chicago icons Rise Against was dominating airplay on just about every alternative and contemporary rock station in the country. Hailing from an era when pop punk was booming and bands addressing political and social issues were on the decline, Rise Against stood out from the crowd with their socially conscious but always catchy lyrics and fearless sound. Whether they were busy protesting wars, raising awareness of the vanishing American dream, or simply portraying the struggles of growing up poor in mercilessly cold Chicago, Rise Against has always had a gift for turning the painful cries of the disenfranchised into anthems that are impossible to not sing along to. It’s been far too long since Rise Against has truly been granted the spotlight and the last couple of years have more than proven there’s still plenty of horse shit for us to rise against today, so we’re taking the time to rank every one of their albums from worst to best – let’s get right to it.
9. Wolves (2017)
While “Wolves” itself is “Far From Perfect,” it definitely includes some tracks worth blasting on your headphones while stuck sandwiched against yet another group of Chicago tourists on the L train arguing over what deep dish pizza they should try. “Bullshit” comes to mind immediately, as it features ska-punk legend Jesse Michaels delivering killer backup vocals. “The Violence” on the other hand successfully plays to the band’s strength of producing kick ass guitar-led melodies. Much of the fun seems to stop there though. While other tracks like “How Many Walls” and “Welcome to the Breakdown” were meant to call out the atrocities of a burger-gobbling former president, they didn’t quite pack the punch needed for it to garner as much controversy and widespread appeal as the rest of their discography.
Play it again: “Miracle” and “The Violence”
Skip it: “How Many Walls”
8. The Black Market (2014)
This was the album where Tim McIlrath decided to approach his songwriting with a deep introspective tone. While the album is solid with notable songs like “Bridges,” it’s no surprise that the politically-charged protest songs are more fun than ones where things get so personal. That’s right, fast-paced songs like “The Eco-Terrorist In Me” about burning down factory farms are more fun than the more “thoughtful” songs like “Methadone” which doesn’t have a single mention of arson. Go figure.
Play it again: “Bridges” and “The Eco-Terrorist In Me”
Skip it: “Methadone”
7. The Unraveling (2001)
Kicking off with a soundbite from 1996 psychological thriller film “The Cable Guy” with Jack Black questioning, “Are you ready to rock?” Rise Against’s 2001 debut album instantly set them apart from the pop punk sound that was already dominating the new millennium. This album featured heavy, but controlled, chaos. You know – the kind of hardcore album that you would want to experience live while dodging drop kicks in the pit of a lively Chicago punk bar. It also revealed tracks like “My Life Inside Your Heart” and “Everchanging,” both offering a first glimpse of the melodic tendencies that would shape the band’s future releases.
Play it again: “Alive and Well” and “Everchanging”
Skip it: “Stained Glass and Marble”
6. Nowhere Generation (2021)
Spotlighting the failing promise of the American Dream, 2021’s “Nowhere Generation” brought Rise Against’s sound into the complete shitshow that we all find ourselves in today. Opening with a spooky line from the French anarchist anthem “L’Internationale” before thrashing into some of the band’s most in-your-face tracks yet, this album features Rise Against doing what they do best – delivering their hardcore sound complete with pain-stoked melodies that highlight the hypocrisy of the times. Leveraging days of intricate socio-economic research and even interviews with the band’s own children, “Nowhere Generation” successfully captures the hopeless and fractured society today’s youth find themselves struggling to survive.
Play it again: “Nowhere Generation” and “Broken Dreams, Inc”
Skip it: “Talking to Ourselves”
5. Revolutions per Minute (2003)
After gathering a respectably sized fanbase with their debut, the pressure was on for Rise Against when it came to make their follow up album, “Revolutions per Minute.” Fortunately, what they delivered was a relentless call for revolution featuring impressive songwriting that even their biggest fans never saw coming. Right off the bat this album is noticeably more melodic than its predecessor. It’s as if the band realized that Tim McIlrath can in fact sing, and that they should leverage the hell out of that. From tracks like “Dead Ringer” addressing dumbass claims that they “sold out” to “Blood-Red, White & Blue” covering everything fucked up about 9/11, this album showcases the band’s over-the-top musicianship and dark perspective on society. One of the album’s tracks, “Like the Angel,” also secured a spot on the “Tony Hawk Underground” soundtrack, which was a right of passage for any self-respecting punk band of the time. As far as second albums go, it’s hard to get better than this.
Play it again: “Like the Angel” and “Black Masks & Gasoline”
Skip it: “To the Core”
4. Endgame (2011)
“Endgame” gets a lot of hate and I can’t for the life of me see why. Sure – plenty of the album’s tracks sound structured for radio, but that doesn’t make them bad at all. Besides, there’s a reason why this album was their biggest commercial success – that reason being that it features some legit smashes. With lyrics like, “We are the orphans of the American dream, so shine your light on me,” and a song directly linking rising teen suicide rates with homophobia, “Endgame” features some of Rise Against’s most powerful songwriting in their entire catalogue. It rightfully belongs ranked just below their most celebrated albums, even if you got burnt out from hearing “Help Is On the Way” on the radio during every morning commute.
Play it again: “Satellite”
Skip it: “Disparity By Design”
Honorable Mention: The Ghost Note Symphonies, Vol. 1 (2018)
By 2018, Rise Against fans had been requesting an acoustic album for quite some time, so Tim McIlrath and the crew decided to deliver just that with “The Ghost Note Symphonies, Vol. 1”. It’s no surprise that this album turned out so great, seeing how several of the band’s stripped-down acoustic-led songs like “Swing Life Away” and “Hero of War” already were among their most beloved songs. The end result is a fun and extremely listenable album with a flawless and fresh take on plenty of Rise Against favorites that at least deserves a mention in our list.
Play it again: “Audience Of One – Ghost Note Symphonies” (One of Rise Against’s biggest sleeper hits works like a fucking charm in acoustic)
Skip it: “Faint Resemblance – Ghost Note Symphonies” (Swap the ukulele for an acoustic guitar and this wouldn’t have sounded like a weird punk luau)
3. Siren Song of the Counter Culture (2004)
“Siren Song of the Counter Culture” was the first Rise Against album I ever heard, and that means it was probably the same for you because there was no way you knew about them before me, ok? The album completely evolved the band from a Chicago sensation into a breakthrough act thanks to several hits featuring a distinctive sound that still holds up today. Whether you’re looking at the solemn but ever-hopeful story of a couple struggling to make ends meet in “Swing Life Away,” the brightly euphoric opening guitar riff of “Paper Wings,” or the unorthodoxly positive but still batshit wild rager that is “Give It All,” it’s easy to see why this album helped Rise Against truly dip their toes into the national spotlight for the first time.
Play it again: “Paper Wings,” “Give It All,” and “Swing Life Away”
Skip it: “To Them These Streets Belong”
2. Appeal to Reason (2008)
“Appeal to Reason” strayed away from the underground hardcore punk sound Rise Against perfected in previous releases. While this made plenty of longtime fans cautious at first, the album fortunately turned out to be a total banger. Notable hits include “Re-Education (Through Labor)” serving as a fist-pumping anthem for the world’s exploited working class, “Savior” covering a struggling relationship in the most delightfully dramatic way possible, and the band’s arguably saddest song ever, “Hero of War,” sharing a soldier’s journey from an underprivileged teenager targeted by military recruiters to a PTSD suffering veteran so haunted by the horrors of war to the point that he’s on the verge of suicide. Seeing that the album peaked at number 3 on the Billboard 200, “Appeal to Reason” is proof that there will always be an international audience ready to celebrate punk bands rooted in activism – as long as they produce some fucking jams.
Play it again: “Re-Education (Through Labor)” and “Audience of One”
Skip it: “Hairline Fracture”
1. The Sufferer & the Witness (2006)
As a proud resident of Chicago, I knew this would be the Rise Against album for me the second I heard it open with “Intro/Chamber The Cartridge” parodying the intercom voice of the Chicago L train with, “This is Noise.” Oozing with showmanship and genuine dedication to the hometown that built them up, “The Sufferer & the Witness” is a damn perfect album full of distinctive nods to the band’s punk activist roots while featuring an evolved sound that drew in all kinds of new fans. While nothing dates a band more today than having albums from the midst of the Bush administration, the cries for action driven by powerfully urgent shouts from Tim McIlrath and wailing guitar featured on “The Sufferer & the Witness” feel timeless. You could also say it’s eerie how much the lyrics of Rise Against’s globally-acclaimed song “Prayer of the Refugee” match with the conflicts of today, such as the totally-fucked war in Ukraine. The song almost comes off as a warning that the wars of tomorrow will always bring forced displacement and discrimination – while somehow still pulling off being one of the most contagiously explosive punk anthems of all time.
Play it again: “Prayer of the Refugee,” “Drones,” and “Ready to Fall”
Skip it: Don’t fucking insult me