There is definitely no mistaking a Rise Against record. The band is epitome of what melodic punk rock has become. Melodic, impassioned and inspiring. The band have come a long way on the back of such great albums as The Sufferer & The Witness and Appeal To Reason , Endgamecontinues on the same vein as the previous two records. You will want to sing along at the top of your voice; you are going to want to bang your head and you are going to want to listen to this record over again.
So what’s different? Have they just repeated themselves for a third time? Short answer is yes. Long answer is yes, but it’s probably what you want. If a band like Rise Against came out with electronic beats or screamed vocals or downtuned guitars, you’d be immediately put off and the scene would pan them universally. And to be honest, the band themselves would probably feel like they’ve betrayed their loyal fans by changing too much. The band prides themselves on their stories and messages behind the songs. Whether it’s loyalty in Midnight Hands. The socio-political slant in tracks like Architects and title track Endgame or the tales of loss in This Is Letting Go, it’s these themes that make this band special. The songs come out like anthems for the disenchanted. The music resonates that feeling deep within the heart and the end product is Rise Against. So no, we don’t want anything different from them.
The final question is: is this album worth our money? For fans, most definitely. If you’re one of those people who have liked a few songs in the past, maybe this won’t win you over, and if you are completely new and want to broaden your tastes, you’re probably better off with one of their older albums. That’s not to say that this a bad record, it just doesn’t immediately grab you as previous works. There’s no outstanding track to fall in love with. There are just twelve solid tracks to rock your world for forty five minutes.
