Rise Against
The Black Market

Punk rock. Wasn't that the kind of music that preached stepping outside the lines and holding your head high despite everything that's spinning around you?

The most paradoxical thing is that many exponents of the genre, despite good intentions, always end up taking the easy route, with albums that will surely be a sure hit with fans, but in essence add nothing new compared to previous works.

This latest album by Rise Against recalls the sounds of albums like "The Sufferer and the Witness", even in aesthetic terms (the album cover is an obvious reference). The songs represent the typical Rise Against sound, that is, that melodic hardcore leaning towards pop, this time leaning more towards the latter. With such premises, it seems hard to discredit this album. It's not a bad album. The sounds are detailed, the songs are spot-on, and Tim McIlrath's voice is one of the most beloved and recognizable in the genre. The problem for me is that this album has already been made 2 or 3 times by the band! 

The format is starting to get a bit repetitive: a couple of faster tracks followed by a couple of more "catchy" numbers, with the inevitable melancholic ballad breaking the atmosphere for a few minutes.

The fact that a band has been around for over 15 years doesn't necessarily mean the sound has to evolve, but I can't help but think that by avoiding pushing new ideas and daring to experiment with new paths, something might be lost along the way. A story rich in emotional peaks like that of Rise Against risks becoming a bit flat and losing all its original meaning.