Rise Against
Rise Against is an American punk rock band from Chicago, formed in 1999. The group's current line-up comprises vocalist/rhythm guitarist Tim McIlrath, lead guitarist Zach Blair, bassist Joe Principe and drummer Brandon Barnes. Rise Against's music emphasizes melody, catchy hooks, an aggressive sound and playstyle, and rapid tempos. Lyrically, the band is known for their social commentary, covering a wide range of topics such as politics, animal rights, humanitarianism, and environmentalism.
The band spent its first four years signed to the independent record label Fat Wreck Chords, on which they released two studio albums, The Unraveling and Revolutions per Minute. Both the albums were met with underground success, and in 2003 the band signed with the major label DreamWorks, which was absorbed by Geffen. Rise Against's major label debut Siren Song of the Counter Culture brought the band mainstream success, largely in part to the popularity of the singles "Give It All" and "Swing Life Away". The band's next album, The Sufferer & the Witness, peaked at number ten on the Billboard 200 in the United States, and was Rise Against's first album to chart in countries outside of North America.
With the release of Appeal to Reason, Rise Against's music shifted toward a more accessible and radio-friendly sound, with greater emphasis on production value. The album's third single, "Savior", broke the record for the most consecutive weeks spent on both the Hot Rock Songs and Alternative Songs charts. Rise Against's popularity grew with the release of Endgame, which peaked at number two on the Billboard 200, and charted highly worldwide. The band's seventh and eighth albums, The Black Market and Wolves, continued the trend of commercial success, and both peaked with the top ten on the Billboard 200, while their ninth album, Nowhere Generation failed to do the same. The band's tenth album, Ricochet, released on August 15, 2025.
Rise Against is also known for their advocacy of progressivism, supporting organizations such as Amnesty International and the It Gets Better Project. The band actively promotes animal rights and most of the members are straight edge, PETA supporters and vegans.
History
Early years (1999-2003)
Rise Against was formed in 1999, by bassist Joe Principe and guitarist Dan Wleklinski. Before Rise Against, Principe and Wleklinski were members of the Chicago punk rock band 88 Fingers Louie. This band toured and recorded to moderate success, but disbanded on two separate occasions in the late 1990s. Following the second breakup, Principe and Wleklinski decided to form a new band called Transistor Revolt, and recruited drummer Tony Tintari, guitarist Kevin White, and lead vocalist Tim McIlrath. Principe met McIlrath in Indianapolis while attending a Sick of It All concert, and recalled seeing him perform with his previous band Baxter. Impressed with McIlrath's gritty vocals, Principe gave him a seven track demo he had recorded, and invited him to join the nascent band. McIlrath accepted the invitation, and dropped out of Northeastern Illinois University.The initial jam sessions were problematic, as McIlrath was unaccustomed to Principe's and Wleklinski's fast-paced style of play. McIlrath described these early sessions as "the meeting of different worlds and worlds colliding", and noted how many of his friends questioned the future of the band. Despite these early issues, they were able to self-publish the extended play Transistor Revolt in 2000. The EP attracted the attention of the local punk community, as well as Fat Mike, the lead vocalist of NOFX and co-founder of the independent record label Fat Wreck Chords. Fat Mike offered to sign the band to a recording contract, with the stipulation that they change their name. He gave some suggestions, like Jimmy Cracked Corn And The I Don't Cares, although none of the band members liked them. Tintari suggested Rise Against, which the band agreed upon.
After signing with Fat Wreck Chords, Tintari and White left the band. The remaining members then spent the next few months looking for another drummer capable of playing double-time beats at a rapid pace. During this period, the band Good Riddance found their new drummer, and sent Rise Against the audition tape of their number two choice, Brandon Barnes. A mutual friend gave Barnes' phone number to Principe, and after listening to Transistor Revolt, Barnes accepted the band's invitation.
With their new lineup finalized, Rise Against began work on their debut studio album, The Unraveling. Recording sessions took place in late 2000, at Sonic Iguana Studios in Lafayette. Wleklinski served as an assistant engineer under producer Mass Giorgini, and later remarked on the grueling workdays: "12-hour days for 4 of those weeks, and then 22 to 24 hours per day during that last week of tracking. These were the times of 'If you don't play it right, you have to play it again,' not 'That was good enough, I'll edit it so it's on time." The Unraveling was released on April 24, 2001. Although the album failed to reach any record charts, it did receive positive reviews from critics, who commended the raw and unadulterated music. To promote the album, Rise Against toured extensively throughout North America and Europe. While on tour, Wleklinski left the band due to several complaints from McIlrath. Rumor spread that Wleklinski was fired because of his long hair, although McIlrath derided these claims. Phillip Hill stood in as the lead guitarist while on tour, after which White returned as a replacement.
Less than a year later, White left the band for a second time, and was replaced by Todd Mohney, McIlrath's roommate and former bandmate. When it came time to record their second album, Revolutions per Minute, McIlrath noted that the band was suffering from an "identity crisis". Fat Wreck Chords was known for a specific pop punk sound, and Rise Against wanted to find a producer that could highlight the heavier side of their music. They decided on Bill Stevenson—the former drummer of the punk band Descendents—and Jason Livermore to produce the album. Revolutions per Minute was recorded at the Blasting Room in Fort Collins, from November to December 2002. The band members developed a strong rapport with Stevenson and Livermore, and the two parties would eventually collaborate on four of next five Rise Against albums.
Revolutions per Minute was released on April 8, 2003. Like The Unraveling, it failed to reach any major record charts, but did reach number thirty-five on the Independent Albums chart in the United States. Critics praised the album for its impassioned lyrics and unique blend of hardcore punk and melodic hardcore; Brian Hiatt of Rolling Stone called Revolutions per Minute "easily among the finest punk records of the past decade". To support the album, Rise Against traveled with other Fat Wreck Chord bands like Anti-Flag, None More Black, and No Use for a Name on North American and Japan based tours, and participated in the 2003 Warped Tour in North America. When asked about the band's early years with Fat Wreck Chords, Principe said: "Our goal was to be on Fat Wreck Chords and just sell enough records so that when we were home from tour, we wouldn't have to get jobs...Of course, that was all before we had families and children and numerous responsibilities. That was the beauty. And then the longer we did it things just kept coming our way."
Rising popularity (2004–2007)
Rise Against's extensive touring schedule helped to establish an early fanbase, and attracted the attention of major record labels, including DreamWorks Records. The general consensus among Fat Wreck Chords musicians was that major record labels sacrifice musical integrity in exchange for commercial profit. Rise Against held the same belief, but eventually came to the conclusion that unlike other labels, DreamWorks supported their politically charged lyrics. According to McIlrath: "Their faith in what we do and the fact that they cared about stuff we cared about was an eye-opener." The band signed with DreamWorks in September 2003, and was given complete creative control to record their major record label debut album, Siren Song of the Counter Culture.The band went into the album with the assumption that DreamWorks was going to drop them at any moment, so they wanted to take advantage of the opportunity by working with their "dream producer". They chose Garth Richardson, who was known for his work with heavier sounding bands like Rage Against the Machine and Sick of It All. While writing songs for the album, Rise Against's lineup once again changed; Mohney quit, and was replaced by Chris Chasse of the band Reach the Sky. The recording sessions for Siren Song of the Counter Culture were marred by numerous distractions and inconveniences, the biggest of which was the transition from DreamWorks to Geffen Records. In November 2003, DreamWorks was acquired by Universal Music Group, and eventually merged with Geffen. The transition period between labels left Rise Against without an A&R representative, and little acknowledgement from Geffen executives.
Siren Song of the Counter Culture was released on August 10, 2004. For the first six months, the album sold poorly, and attracted little fanfare. Rise Against's incessant touring resulted in greater exposure and an eventual increase in sales. It became the band's first album to reach the Billboard 200, peaking at number 136, and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America , denoting shipments of 500,000 copies. Siren Song of the Counter Culture was praised for its lyrical content, but drew some criticism for a lack of individually memorable songs and perceived overproduction. Three songs from the album were released as singles: "Give It All", "Swing Life Away", and "Life Less Frightening". All three songs charted on the Modern Rock Tracks chart in the United States. "Give It All" and "Swing Life Away" in particular are credited as the band's breakthrough singles, helping Rise Against achieve mainstream appeal.
After a year and a half of touring, Rise Against reconvened at the Blasting Room to record their fourth album, The Sufferer & the Witness. The band members were dissatisfied with Richardson's contributions to Siren Song of the Counter Culture, as he produced a more polished and heavier album than their previous works. As a result, they decided to return to Stevenson and Livermore, who they felt had accurately captured the raw punk sound they strove for on Revolutions per Minute. Unlike the stressful recording sessions for Siren Song of the Counter Culture, the band had a much more enjoyable time with The Sufferer & the Witness, as they no longer sought the approval of Geffen executives. According to McIlrath: "It went great, the songs just flowed out of us. There were really few questions and the song lyrics would just come out of us, it went really well and everyone really liked them."
The Sufferer & the Witness was released on July 4, 2006. The album sold 48,327 copies in its first week of release in the United States, and peaked at number ten on the Billboard 200. The Sufferer & the Witness also charted in seven other countries, including number five on the Canadian Albums Chart, making it the band's first album to chart outside of the United States. It was certified gold in three countries, and platinum by Music Canada. The album was well received by critics, who praised the production value, and noted how Rise Against was able to mature in their sound and simultaneously retain their punk roots.
Three songs from The Sufferer & the Witness were released as singles: "Ready to Fall", "Prayer of the Refugee", and "The Good Left Undone". These three songs also charted on the Modern Rock Tracks chart, with "Prayer of the Refugee" and "The Good Left Undone" in particular peaking within the top ten. Rise Against supported the album with The Sufferer & the Witness Tour throughout the second half of 2006 and all of 2007. The band was a headliner on the 2006 Warped Tour, during which author and filmmaker Davy Rothbart recorded several of the band's live performances, and interviewed some of their fans. This footage was used in the Rise Against DVD documentary Generation Lost. Prior to a 2007 tour with My Chemical Romance, Chasse left the band, citing touring fatigue as the reason for his departure; his role was filled shortly thereafter by Zach Blair of the band Only Crime. At the time he received the call about joining Rise Against, Blair was a construction worker living paycheck to paycheck.