Chicago, IL · melodic hardcore · punk · punk rock

Rise Against

2 upcoming festivals ↓

Chicago's melodic-hardcore conscience — two decades of fists-up anthems delivered with undimmed conviction, 'Savior' still closing rooms.

Rise Against formed in Chicago in 1999 and became one of the more widely heard American bands to come out of melodic hardcore. Fronted by singer and guitarist Tim McIlrath, the group pairs fast, distorted punk arrangements with sung choruses, and lyrics that return often to political and social subjects, animal rights and personal conviction.

The band began with bassist Joe Principe and guitarist Dan Wleklinski, both previously of the Chicago punk band 88 Fingers Louie. After that group split, they formed a new outfit with drummer Tony Tintari and guitarist Kevin White, then recruited McIlrath, whom Principe had met at a Sick of It All show; McIlrath left university to join.

They spent their first years on the independent label Fat Wreck Chords, releasing The Unraveling and Revolutions per Minute, before signing to a major label for Siren Song of the Counter Culture, which carried the singles "Give It All" and "Swing Life Away" into the mainstream. The Sufferer & the Witness followed it into the Billboard top ten.

Appeal to Reason pushed the sound toward a more polished, radio-ready register, and its single "Savior" set a record for consecutive weeks on the rock and alternative charts. Endgame reached number two on the Billboard 200, and The Black Market and Wolves both later cracked the top ten, with Nowhere Generation and a tenth album, Ricochet, following in the years since.

Live, they play at a consistently high tempo, with McIlrath's hoarse delivery and audience singalongs central to how the sets are built. Offstage, the band has backed organisations including Amnesty International and the It Gets Better Project, and most members are straight edge and vegan, with animal rights a recurring cause in their advocacy.

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melodic hardcorepunkpunk rock