Review Summary: Back to the basics.
Rise Against was one of the bands I couldn’t help but love. Even through their weaker material, I always found their albums likable. They were well written, high octane, and all around fun to listen to. Back in their heyday, I was convinced Rise Against was going to take the world by storm. After all, releasing
RPM,
Siren Song…, and
The Sufferer and the Witness consecutively leads one to believe so. Those 3 albums rocked the underground to its core. Armed with crunchy guitars and catchy hooks, Rise Against waged war on their opposition. They were soldiers in the war of equality. Each album inspired their fans to persevere, rise, and stand up for what they believed in. Through the years, Rise Against softened their edge a little too much.
Endgame and
The Black Market (which is better than most people give credit for) were more alt rockers than anything else, but
Wolves is something different. There’s a lot more life to live in this album. Their edge is back and the album inches closer to the Rise Against of old.
Wolves is the most aggressive we’ve seen Rise Against in a long time. Disillusioned by the past election,
Wolves aims to inspire listeners to keep pushing back in the darkest hour. Angry lyrics, occasionally abrasive vocals, and pounding instruments are the device for change. The overall sound isn’t as heavy as one would expect. Despite tracks like ‘Welcome to the Breakdown’ and ‘How Many Walls,’ the core sound of
Wolves leans closer to
Appeal to Reason. The guitars are crunchier to give off a rougher tone the album uses to carry on the revolting message. Bass is used a lot more for
Wolves than in previous releases. We get some bass interludes here and there, like in ‘Far from Perfect’ where the bass drives the verse. The bonus tracks are the real gems here. Most albums feature bonus tracks that are usually outtakes from the final stages of release, yet
Wolves are just phenomenal. I’m really surprised ‘Megaphone’ and ‘Broadcast[Signal]Frequency’ weren’t on the main list. Both of these songs are ruthless, aggressive, and plain brutal start to finish. They make the deluxe edition worth every penny. These songs are a lot closer to
Siren Song…. They have that same instrumental quality, but McIlrath sings a lot cleaner.
Wolves flows nicely beginning to end. The title track opens the album with a flurry of sounds barraging the listener. It’s a warm welcome to the fans and sets the rocky road we’ll be traveling. From there,
Wolves picks up and starts clanging and banging all the way until ‘Welcome to the Breakdown.’ The album lulls from there with ‘Bull***’ and ‘Politics of Love’ dragging their feet, but the last 4 songs kill it until close. Honestly, if those middle 2 songs were replaced with the bonus tracks, this album would have been spotless. The opening and closing tracks were stellar, but the real standouts (disregarding the bonus songs) were ‘Welcome to the Breakdown’ and ‘How Many Walls.’ They both make the most out of
Wolves current formula and capitalize on the raw passion needed to sell the disillusioned feel. Fans can invest in that revolting message a lot better in those songs than in the others. Otherwise, most of the album tracks lack that grittiness to make them stand out. Most songs blend together, which is something Rise Against does to a fault on most albums. The songs aren’t really bad, they just don’t individualize. If not for key tracks in between, I would forget they were there.
I will say the lyrics here are a step up. “Just because I can’t put your finger on it doesn’t mean it’s not there,” sticks out from ‘Parts per Million.’ It’s sort of buried in the lineup, but ‘Parts…’ is worth a jam or two. ‘Miracle’ drives the album home telling fans to stop waiting for change and create it. "We stare at broken clocks, the truth comes twice a day; while every second just slips away," tells listeners how unproductive waiting for change is. ‘Miracle’ is a powerful closer with phenomenal lyrics. ‘How Many Walls,’ which comes just before it, blazes through the latter portion with a full throttle assault on America’s political climate. With a big hook and ginormous sound, McIlrath belts, “How many walls can you put up? How many guns 'til you feel safe,” and ends, “…there's something to change. We have waited over, and over, and over again.” It’s one of the lyrically complex songs on
Wolves and deals with safety, security, and paranoia. The opening track is slightly underrated by the fans. The epic solo and high energy makes ‘Wolves’ another song to appreciate when listening. Rise Against put a lot of effort into
Wolves for their eighth outing. From the organization to style of the songs, Rise Against is trying to rekindle the flame that once inspired the masses.
I was really excited for
Wolves when it was announced. I haven’t been as excited for a Rise Against album since
Appeal to Reason, but
Wolves was one I knew Rise Against
had to deliver on. There was no way around it. This was the time and place for Rise Against to do what they do best: rise against something.
Wolves doesn’t possess the same raw and angry passion that made
Siren Song of the Counter Culture a massive threat, but it does shine a light in the times we’re in. Some fans were left disappointed by the release, but Rise Against embodies that trait more than enough times. Including the bonus tracks, Rise Against has that untapped ability to engulf fans into their revolutionary flame. The problem is they don’t use it nearly enough. If
Wolves were more aggressive and focused on its target, it would have made for a better album, but
Wolves really is fine by itself. It’s convincingly angry and rioting for their cause. It may not savagely decimate their opposition as much as past encounters, but it does remind fans of their progress and how much further they can still go.
Wolves works just fine as a more aggressive approach to their current stance. They didn’t hold back as much as previous releases. As a fan, I was completely satisfied with this release. It met my expectations and even exceeded some. I’d recommend
Wolves to modern alternative fans looking for a well-spoken politically charged album. I’d go as far to recommend it to newer listeners who are exploring the alternative spectrum. It’s not an easy listening album, but
Wolves is a good intro to modern punk. It earns its keep on my best of 2017 list. It’s relevant, harsh, and more importantly, Rise Against.
Standout Tracks
Wolves
Welcome to the Breakdown
How Many Walls
Miracle
Far From Perfect
Megaphone [Deluxe Edition]
Broadcast[Signal]Frequency [Deluxe Edition]
