It took a while for Rise Against to make their impact. They joined the music fraternity in 1999 but it wasn’t until their third studio album that they started to get the recognition they had always wanted. Since then, it has been one incredible ride.
They banked on their music to get them through those rough times and it was a decision that has been vindicated. They have just done what they have always wanted to do and stuck to the music they have always wanted to make. The results are there for everyone to see. Now they are all set to play plenty of shows all around the world. If you want to see them live, then grab your Rise Against tickets now.
The Early Days
Dan Wleklinski and Joe Principe used to be members of the band 88 Fingers Louie. When that group broke up, they teamed up to form a new band and named it “Transistor Revolt.” Tim Mcllrath, Kevin White and Tony Tintari were brought on board to complete the group’s line up. It wasn’t all plain sailing though.
Differences between members developed very early on. Even then, they released a self-titled extended play in the year 2000. The EP caught the attention of Fat Mike, the lead vocalist of the band NOFX. He was also the founder of the label Fat Wreck Chords. Mike was impressed by the band’s music and he offered them a recording contract. There was one stipulation though. They had to change the name of the band. They all came up with different names before settling on Rise Against which was suggested by Tintari.
A Few Struggles
White and Tintari quit the band shortly afterwards. The band started to look for a new drummer and Brandon Barnes was picked as the man for the job. They soon set about working on their debut studio album titled “The Unraveling” which came out on April 24, 2001. The record failed to chart.
Rise Against went on a tour of Europe and North America to promote The Unraveling but were met with another setback. Due to differences with Mcllrath, Wleklinski quit in the middle of the tour. Phillip Hill took his place for the tour on the guitars. White then returned as the permanent replacement. That arrangement however did not last for long and a year later, White left again. His spot on the line-up was taken over by Todd Mohney and they released their next studio album, “Revolutions per Minute” on April 8, 2003. It peaked at the thirty fifth spot on the Independent Albums chart in the US but that was as good as it got.
The Breakthrough Arrives
Rise Against went on extensive road trips after the release of Revolutions per Minute and that helped them develop a more than decent fanbase. More importantly, major labels had started to keep an eye on them. They signed a deal with DreamWorks Records in September of 2003 but when they were in the middle of writing songs for their next album, “Siren Song of the Counter Culture,” Mohney left and Chris Chasse took his place.
The album’s recording was not without its share of hiccups either, the biggest one was shifting from one label to another. In November of 2003, DreamWorks was bought by the Universal Music Group and as a result of that, it was merged with Geffen Records. “Siren Song of the Counter Culture” hit the music stores on August 10, 2014 and for the first six months, it looked as though it wasn’t going to make any impact whatsoever.
To promote it Rise Against went on a tour again and this time, the road trip worked to their advantage. The album received more exposure and went on to chart at the Billboard 200 as sales eventually began to pick up. The record was certified gold in the United States.
The Big Hits
Rise Against spent the next year and a half on the road. Once they were done with their hectic touring, they hit the studios to work on “The Sufferer & the Witness,” their next studio album. The album came out on July 4, 2006 and went on to peak at the tenth spot on the Billboard 200. It also charted in seven different nations around the world.
“The Sufferer & the Witness” was certified gold in the US, Germany and Australia while it went platinum in Canada. It was also Rise Against first record to chart beyond the borders of the US. The band then spent the rest of the year and the next year in its entirety on the road in order to promote the record. In 2007, Chasse left the band and he was replaced by Zach Blair.
The title of Rise Against next studio album was “Appeal to Reason” and it was released in October of 2008. It went to the third position on the Billboard 200 and did even better in Canada by going to the top spot. The album also charted in the UK, New Zealand, Australia, Germany, Switzerland and Sweden among others. It was certified gold in the US, Germany and Australia while it recorded platinum level sales in Canada.
Keeping in tune with their past, Rise Against spent quite a lot of time on the road after releasing Appeal to Reason. Their next studio album “Endgame” hit the stores on March 15, 2011 and received four stars out of five from both AllMusic and Alternative Press. It got three out of five stars from Rolling Stone and a nine out of ten rating at Rock Sound.
Commercially, it peaked at the number one spot on the US Top Rock Albums chart and the US Top Hard Rock Albums chart. It also went to the second position on the US Billboard 200. The record charted in multiple nations around the world, including Canada where it went to the first position. Endgame was certified gold in the US and Australia while in Canada it became Rise Against third straight album to earn platinum certification.
Subsequent Albums
Rise Against have released two albums since then – “The Black Market” in 2014 and “Wolves” in 2017. The former went gold in the US and peaked at the third spot on the US Billboard 200. It also climbed to the first position on the US Top Hard Rock Albums, the US Top Rock Albums and the US Top Alternative Albums. The record also cracked the Top 10 in the UK, Switzerland, New Zealand, Germany and Canada.
“Wolves” received three and a half stars out of five from both AllMusic and Metal Hammer. It went as high as the ninth position on the US Billboard 200 and to the pinnacle of the US Top Hard Rock Albums and the US Top Rock Albums charts. It also hit the Top 10 in Canada, Germany, Austria and Australia.
Rise Against Tour Tickets
Since they have always been huge fans of performing live, there is a big chance they will do that this year. They have already confirmed a few shows and it is quite probable, they will add to that list in the near future. So, if you want to watch them hit the stage live, then grab your Rise Against tour tickets.
