Rise Against - Black Market

Rise Against - Black Market

 

Rise Against have been in the game for quite sometime now. They really gained popularity with their third album Siren Songs Of The Counter Culture which managed to blend enough melodic hardcore and anti cred with catchy lyrics and a more mainstream sound to appeal to both the hardcore/punk crowd and the more radio friendly audiences. Their next couple albums managed to stay just this side of punk without truly crossing over into pop. Their last album, Endgame, however felt like it was produced for the pop/power rock radio crowd. It wasn't bad, it just felt a but pre-packaged and flat. 

That continues with this album. It still has some punch to it, songs like The Eco-Terrorist In Me definitely channel the older more aggressive sound that they started with. However most songs simply sound like they were written for radio plays or as rock arena ballads. The slower pace and more generic sound doesn't really work with the anti-government/poverty/oppression lyrics. They come off as a bit cheesy and out of place. The sound will work for some surely. It's catchy as hell and there are plenty of good songs but it just seems weak for them.

This album is going to appeal to a lot of people, I'm sure there are Rise Against fans who will like it. It appeals to those who were more drawn to their melodic side. For others this is probably going to confirm they 'sold out'. For me Black Market is listenable but it's not memorable. Much like the last album it's just a bit weak.