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Versione 1
Rating: Breathtaking. The beginning, at least. Because the opening track of "Appeal To Reason" defines the concept of melodic hardcore in the most comprehensive way, standing as a true paradigm of the genre: "Collapse" unfolds through blazing and sudden breaks, stop 'n' go, Graffin-style oozin-aahs, and hints of solos à la "Modern Man". The a cappella intro of the second verse makes its memory, if possible, even more indelible.
But, as you read, it's only the beginning.
The third effort of Rise Against on a major label (following the perhaps too slick "Siren Song Of The Counter Culture" and the more than good "The Sufferer And The Witness"), indeed, is not without shadows and easily lends itself to criticism. But let's proceed in order.
The "appeal to reason" was made and it can be heard: the Chicago combo relegates the hardcore outbursts of their early works to a handful of episodes (the aforementioned "Collapse" and "Kotov Syndrome", truly a good track, almost a heartfelt epitaph in honor of Good Riddance, whose stylistic dictates are more than just an inspiration for Rise Against) to devote themselves to composing more (?) meditated mid-tempo tracks (though not necessarily more meditative), offering us some good moments: a valid example is the single "Re-Education Through Labor", with broad melodic scope though not trivial and appealing to the mainstream, where the personality of the new guitarist Zach Blair is highlighted (nothing transcendental, but he is the author of numerous captivating riffs that break the rhythm of the song well and bind excellently to the rhythmic section's solutions) and the track "From Heads Unworthy" which, for both its arrangement and lyrics, is certainly the best in the album, with McIlrath particularly inspired in his choice of vocal lines.
The unfortunate notes, however, do not go unnoticed, on the contrary: in many parts of the song, there is a lack of musical inspiration, made explicit by the almost constant presence of predictable vocal lines and catchy choruses that seem almost like commercial jingles, aimed at the more insipid sing along ("Savior" and "The Strength To Go On" above all). Even the arrangement is not without flaws: the octave progression opening "Hairline Fracture" doesn't seem like the prelude to a harsh socio-political invective, but the main riff of a hit single by the shabbiest pop-punk bands.
Not to mention the last track. Usually the stylistic-expressive peak of Rise's albums (the mind, of course, runs to the tight rhythms and epic tones à la Bad Religion of "Survive"), this time the last episode is the colorless "Whereabouts Unknown", a ballad with a bland flavor and a trite chord progression. "Hero Of War", finally, is the inevitable acoustic insert. The suspicion that its presence is due to a contractual clause grows stronger (there's an acoustic track in all Geffen releases), also because it is a sappy mess with no head or tail, with McIlrath as an unconvincing strummer.
An honorable mention, instead, to the lyrics. McIlrath reaffirms himself as a talented songwriter, capable of crystallizing desperate fragments of reality in raw and real verses, with an almost hermetic flavor, managing to address topics that are anything but clichéd, capturing honest and never trivial nuances (just look at "Savior").
In summary, "Appeal To Reason" does not fully convince, even while featuring some commendable solutions; a "maybe" that, however, does not detract from the value and merit of a sincere group like Rise Against, the announced heirs (together with AWS and Strung Out) of those pioneers of melodic hardcore who still tread the scene today. Keep it up, guys. Remember that your protecting spirits are the Black Flag.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
04 The Dirt Whispered (03:09)
She got down on hands and knees,
One ear against the ground,
Holding her breath to hear something,
But the dirt made not a sound tonight
Echoes of songs still lurk on distant foreign shores,
Where we danced just to please the gods that only ask for more,
So it goes
But still we give ourselves to this
We can't spend our lives waiting to live
On cold nights
In a prayer for dawn
But the daylight
Isn’t what she wants
The concrete
Calls my name again
I'm falling
Through the cracks I slip
The postcard says wish you were here
But I’d rather I was there,
Holding on to the simple things before they disappear,
That’s what I meant
But that was then, and this is now
I'll make it up to you somehow
On cold nights
In a prayer for dawn
But the daylight
Isn’t what she wants
The concrete
Calls my name again
I'm falling
Through the cracks I slip
A destination, a fading smile.
Another station, another mile.
Another day gone, I swore that I will.
Be there before dawn.
So be there, I will.
She got down on hands and knees,
One ear against the ground,
Holding her breath to hear something,
Anything at all
The dirt whispered, "Child, I'm coming home"
On cold nights
In a prayer for dawn
But the daylight
Isn’t what she wants
The concrete
Calls my name again
I'm falling
Through the cracks I slip
05 Kotov Syndrome (03:05)
There, high on the watchtower
Keeping the peace
Whatever that means
cause you see the world through
Crosshairs and TVs, don't you?
Ten foot walls built around us
White picket death
So quiet, so safe
But if we fall there will be nothing and no one to catch
So sit back and watch as we
Spin out of control
Spin out of control
Try to recover, but collide with each other
We spin out of control
Something I cannot change
I was born in a place
That lives by the sword
And thus to it's blade we're condemned
Don't you understand why we scream "no more"?
My dreams are of children
Orphaned by blood
Spilled at these hands
Here on the graves of the innocent
We raise our flag
Spin out of control
Spin out of control
Try to recover, but collide with each other
We spin out of control
Somethings you don't forgive, somethings you don't forget
Sometimes the fate you suffer is so much worse than death
We're way off course now and we're drifting out to sea
So cut the anchor on your heart to be set free
Set free
Set free
Spin out of control
Spin out of control
Spin out of control
Spin out of control
Try to recover, we have to recover
We fall and crash, one after the other
Spin out of control
09 Entertainment (03:34)
All we are is entertainment
Caught up in our own derangement
Tell us what to say and what to do
All we are are pretty faces
Picture perfect bottled rage
Packaged synthesized versions of you
We've all made petty fortunes, but we can't afford a life
Confined to pull-out quotes and hotel rooms (hey, hey, hey, hey)
They all scream California and its toppling empire
But can't you see the end is coming soon
Hey!
Come one, come all, the new sensation
Guarantees then obligations
Spotlights follow every single move (move, move, move)
Basking here on ten foot stages
Pouty lips and oh so jaded
All as if we have something to prove
Despite these petty fortunes we still can't afford a life
Confined to pull-out quotes and hotel rooms (hey, hey, hey, hey)
They all scream California and its toppling empire
But can't you see the end is here
And if we cared at all
about this unknown plight
then we'd do something more
to finally make this right
Is this only entertainment
Pull the curtains, places please
We've learned to sing and dance and cry on cue
But this is more than entertainment
In a world so sick with pain
This is the only thing that's real or true
We've all made petty fortunes, but we can't afford a life
Confined to pull-out quotes and hotel rooms (hey, hey, hey, hey)
They all scream bloody murder over graves already dug
But can't you see the end...
11 Savior (04:02)
It kills me not to know this but I've all but just forgotten
What the color of her eyes were and her scars or how she got them
As the telling signs of age rain down, a single tear is dropping
Through the valleys of an aging face that this world has forgotten
There is no reconciliation that will put me in my place
And there is no time like the present to drink these draining seconds
But seldom do these words ring true when I'm constantly failing you
Like walls that we just can't break through until we disappear
So tell me now if this ain't love then how do we get out?
'Cause I don't know
That's when she said I don't hate you but
I just want to save you while there's still something left to save
That's when I told her I love you girl
But I'm not the answer for the questions that you still have, whoa oh, whoa oh
And the day pressed on like crushing weights
For no man does it ever wait
Like memories of dying days that deafen us like hurricanes
Bathed in flames we held the brand, uncurled the fingers in your hand
Pressed into the flesh like sand, now do you understand?
So tell me now if this ain't love then how do we get out?
'Cause I don't know
That's when she said I don't hate you but
I just want to save you while there's still something left to save
That's when I told her I love you girl
But I'm not the answer for the questions that you still have, whoa oh, whoa oh
One thousand miles away, there's nothing left to say
But so much left that I don't know
We never had a choice, this world is too much noise
It takes me under, it takes me under once again
I don't hate you
I don't hate you, no
So tell me now if this ain't love then how do we get out?
'Cause I don't know
That's when she said I don't hate you but
I just want to save you while there's still something left to save
That's when I told her I love you girl
But I'm not the answer for the questions that you still have, whoa oh whoa oh
I don't hate you
I don't hate you, whoa oh, whoa oh
I don't hate you
I don't hate you, no, whoa oh, whoa oh
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Other reviews
By Taurus
The only criticism ... is the almost total abandonment of the screamed parts that have always added an extra march to the compositions.
'Appeal to Reason' still manages to fulfill its primary purpose, which is to offer half an hour of entertainment, allowing us to escape from the worries of daily life.
By RiseAgainst
The only problem is that Tim no longer screams like he used to, and this is the major issue with the album.
The album has brilliant moments, but they are too few, and the absence of the screamed parts cannot help but complain about this choice.
