An American hardcore band specifically from the state of Illinois, their reputation and commercial success are built off of progressive, straight-edge views and a knack at writing catchy hooks. Frontman Tim McIllrath’s vocals would bring to mind the similarly political sentiments of System of a Down’s Serj Tankian while much of the music is inspired by the likes of Minor Threat. With nearly 20 years spent as a mainstream name with only 2021’s Nowhere Generation not being in the Billboard’s top 10, the band are openly critical of the presidencies of George W. Bush and Donald J. Trump.
Ricochet is set on being the band’s tenth album as they continue to commentate on the injustices that surround the world. Be it disillusionment among the youth in “Gold Long Gone”, blind obedience in “Soldier”, global tension in the title track, or being on the right side in “Us Against the World”, Rise Against remain as idealistic in pushing for change as they have been. The messaging does feel appreciative yet it feels too familiar between its use of commonplace metaphors and lack of clear thematic thread. Comparatively, you have Green Day’s American Idiot where, thanks to its more grandiose scope and more prog-rock influences, it stuck out as a classic time capsule of the rage against the War on Terror. Ricochet lacks this high-risk vision and it thus rings hollow in its intent.
The other side of the album gets more interpersonal in its topic as McIllrath focuses on community, dreams, and mental health respectively in “Nod”, “I Want It All”, and “Sink Like a Stone”. It was from there when, given the remarks about the sameness of the band’s style back in 2017 with Wolves, the music feels formulaic to the point where the messages no longer stand out as much as they should have. You know of Rise Against’s biggest strengths like the riveting synergy between the guitar solos and the drumming or the in-your-face criticisms of contemporary events. It is a shame however that most of the tracks don't have a distinct identity to make each one stand on their own to make their reach all the more broader.
Speaking of the band’s strengths, the reason why the album’s ultimate rating leans toward mildly positive rests in the technical aspect. Almost everything about Ricochet is professionally well-done in terms with its recording quality and general listenability. The production amplifies up the viscerality of the instruments in “Damage is Done” without pushing it into noisy territory which adds a bit of clarity to the riffs. “Black Crown” sees the guitar feedback in the beginning shimmer in a way that would remind you of shoegaze even if it doesn’t go all the way. “Forty Days” is a sobering reminder on how Rise Against’s samey formula is all but mastered as they know how to play around the tempo and the dynamic of the volume to try and keep your attention. It’s clear that the band knows how to make full use of their instrumentation, how exactly they want it to sound like, and even add some spice to their songwriting. Why they didn’t try to experiment with their style more drastically is a big, big bummer to keep at the back of your head.
Be it the yelling in “State Of Emergency” or the echoes in “Prizefighter”, Ricochet is clearly an album that is made more to grab the attention of the public than to push itself to the boundary. Its small bits of studio tinkering to liven up the tracks and the solid shrills from the instrument playing doesn’t impede the reality that its formulaic song structure and hamstrung cliches limit its impact.
It’s like a good-quality kind of fast food that you would turn to for comfort even if there are more fulfilling alternatives. One that is more bound to radicalise you to anarchic or socialistic mindsets like hip hop duo Dead Prez’s chants that their message “is bigger than hip hop”. Or, even more mildly, there are some that use progressive or left-wing texts as purely artistic influences to electrify their work like Sofie Royer’s Young-Girl Forever. You would hope soon that Rise Against would widen their horizon and make their next work go all the way in every direction.
