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Rise against ignorance.
That’s the message in “Appeal To Reason,” the fifth album from punk rock group Rise Against. Released Oct. 7, the album is now available in stores and on iTunes.
The album doesn’t endorse a particular political mindset, but it does heavily encourage change and listeners to seek knowledge so they can instigate these changes.
The CD case itself includes reading and film recommendations about subjects like history, the health care system and global warming. The CD booklet also includes quotes from Gandhi, Henry David Thoreau, Pablo Picasso and The Declaration of Independence.
According to the song “Collapse (Post-Amerika),” the first track on the album: “Neutrality means that you don’t really care, because the struggle goes on even when you’re not there.”
Frontman Tim Mcllrath pens all of the band’s unique lyrics, often straying from the typical song formula of verse-chorus-verse. All 13 tracks on “Appeal To Reason” have a unique format and deal with war, media spin and getting involved.
By far the most emotional track on the album is the acoustic “Hero of War.”
The song starts at a U.S. Army recruiting booth and tells the story of a solider through first person perspective. The song details many events that have actually happened, such as the prisoner humiliation at Abu Gharib, suicide bombers, the capture of prisoners and the post-traumatic stress disorder many soldiers deal with upon returning from the war zone.
The chorus has notes of both pride and sadness in it: “A hero of war/ yeah, that’s what I’ll be/ and when I come home/ they’ll be damn proud of me/ I’ll carry this flag/ to the grave if I must/ because it’s a flag that I love/ and a flag that I trust.”
Fans of Green Day, Incubus and Death Cab for Cutie will find kindred musical spirits with Rise Against.
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