Rise Against- The Best of Punk Rock

The band Rise Against is an American group from Chicago, Illinois that has been in the punk rock scene for more than a decade.

Past Story

The birth of Rise Against began when members of Baxter and 88 Fingers Louie joined forces to first form Transistor Revolt. On lead vocals was Tim Mcllrath while Joe Principe and Mr. Precision provided backup vocals while handling bass and guitar. On drums was Toni Tintari. As an independent performer, the band was able to come up with an EP demo carrying four tracks called “Transistor Revolt.”

After the first independent EP release, Toni Tintari left the group, making the four tracks his only stint with the band. He was temporarily replaced by popular drummer Dan Lumley. After his brief inclusion, Brandon Barnes took the permanent role of drummer and still plays for the group.

A year later, the band signed with independent label Fat Wreck Chords. Prior to the release of their first album, the name of the band changed to Rise Against. “The Unraveling” was the name of their debut album released on April 2001. Mr. Precision left the band after the release and was replaced by Todd Mohney. Work began on their second album titled “Revolutions per Minute” which saw a release in 2003.

The band began to move towards the mainstream path when they signed a deal with Dreamworks Records in 2004. This paved the way for the release of their third album, “Siren Song of the Counter Culture” in the same year. Dreamworks was later taken in by the Universal Music Group and Rise Against moved on to Geffen Records.

After this change, Todd Mohney decided to leave the band and Chris Chasse came in to fill the spot. Chasse however did not stay for long, leaving in 2007 after the fourth Rise Against album release. Zach Blair became the new guitarist and worked with the band on its fifth album and on other Rise Against video features. He is still currently with the group.

Albums Released

“The Unraveling” is the debut album that was released in 2001 after “Transistor Revolt” changed name. All of the demo tracks in their early EP were rerecorded with Brandon Barnes in action as the drummer. It was reissued in 2005 where the tracks were remixed and remastered. Under the same Fat Wreck Chords label, “Revolutions per Minute” followed where it made it to number 15 of the 2003 Billboard Top Independent Albums.

It was with Dreamworks that the band’s third album “Siren Song of the Counter Culture” was made. The band saw this as a major piece of work. While they received very good feedback for it, there were also some critics who saw the album as an average piece. Their fourth album “The Sufferer the Witness” was received better, selling on its first week a good 48,000 copies. The next album “Appeal to Reason” is less outstanding but has still managed to sell more than 64,000 copies.

Rise Against appears to be leaving the underground scene which resulted in mixed reactions amongst fans and critics. On the upside, their generally positive reception makes them prepared for playing in all parts of the world. Rise Against will record another album around fall of 2010 and they will also open up for Green Day to further increase interest for the Rise Against discography.