Rise Against - Ricochet (August 15th, 2025) Album • Page 15

I'd rather them go for a slight change in sound than more of the same because there has been a distinct lack of variety and diminishing returns for a decade or more now. Some cool moments on here where the production works well, other times I can see why people are taking issue.
Nothing jumps out as being particularly catchy on first listen which is a bigger issue for me. But maybe the shout along melodies I seek out from Rise Against will reveal themselves more with time.

 

a few songs into this and it really has one of the worst production jobs i have ever heard on anything hahaha what the hell

i think nod and damage is done are pretty good for what they are, the chugging at the end of damage is done is fun lol. the other two songs ive heard were pretty bad though

 

just finished the record and while i would not personally award it any higher than like a 5/10, i did probably prefer this to the last two albums

 

First impressions are it's fine, with Ricochet, Black Crown (Mean Everything To Nothing and Cope vibes thanks to the grungey feel and Andy's feature), State Of Emergency and Gold Long Gone being early favorites.

Their recent interviews made me expect more of a departure, but overall it sounds just like a Rise Against album with a slower BPM and a stronger emphasis on their alternative/hard rock side. At this point in their long career, this move makes sense for them. The increased touches of Americana are cool and make me look back at some of their past covers. I had a feeling they'd lean more into that sound as they get older.

Nowhere Generation felt like a return to form but did make me wonder "where do they go from here?", so this slight left turn is welcome. Call it dad rock but, assuming this is a transitional album, I'd rather they keep building on that than try to chase past glories, even if the results are mixed.

While I think the production complaints were overblown (Wolves sounded much worse), I do wish the vocals were clearer and more up front. That said, I'm relieved the distracting echo-y/tin can effect is only present on a couple songs. After being used to their usual polish with Bill Stevenson, hearing Tim (and Joe) sound shrill or even off-key at times due to the rawer approach can be odd. I get what they're going for though.

Some bland moments, it plods at times and Prizefighter is a bit limp for a closer. The screamy bridges in Damage is Done, Forty Days and Soldier show they still got some fire in them.

I thought of Nickelback here and there but the comparison to Foo Fighters is more apt lol.

 

First listen was kinda heartbreaking for me considering my 20+ year history with this band and what they’ve done for me. Mainly because of the production.

That said, some cool parts on here. Damage Is Done is pretty good. Black Crown is some pretty decent shoegaze.

the guitar production though….just sounds like they’re being recorded through busted speakers.

 

Who's the guest vocalist on Black Crown?

 

Andy Hull.

 

I like Soldier, and Prizefighter is good, but it's not a closer. Everything else is a mix of good and bad.

Someone is clearly hoping the title track is the pop off single. That's kind of the acid test for the album, if it becomes a hit then the band will be happy. I like it more than I did on first listen but I still find the vocals a turn-off.

I felt if they were going to lean into the for lack of a better term "radio rock" direction, then the obvious blueprint was Sudden Urge (which should have been a fucking single). Nod is the only song which gives me some of that vibe. Most of the rest of the album is just Rise Against but not as good.

The short version is I think RA fans will be disappointed and radio rock fans won't care.

 

nowhere generation is honestly also very radio rock to me. theyve been on that path for a while, im not surprised by how this sounds whatsoever

 

I think they may have recorded the vocals through a megaphone with a trumpet/trombone mute shoved into it.

 

I think I'd have liked this far more without the weird vocal effect on everything. The heavier vocal moments sound so bad and muffled.

 

I notice a lot of comments about the band not saying anything about the genocide happening….I don’t follow what bands have or have not said, but I also see a lot of people saying those comments are bots.

What is happening?

 

Good for the bots.

 

Had no idea Wolves was so unliked. "Far From Perfect" and "Welcome To The Breakdown" are some of my favorites songs by them. This new one is kinda...whatever.

 

Genuine question as someone who lives in a major urban area, has no car and we haven't had an alt-rock station for many years. What is the general makeup of a "radio rock" audience these days? Do people really still tune into rock stations in hopes of hearing new music?

 

I don't listen to the radio, but I do participate in radio surveys weekly and that's how I hear quite a few songs for the first time.

This probably isn't answering your question.

 

Precisely. The crowds at their shows have been pretty full of people who are only familiar with their later work for 10+ years at this point. They're definitely not as popular as they are because of people wanting to hear stuff from the Fat era, that's for sure.

 

Sirius XM is what they are referring to I believe and a station like Octane. There is a new term called Octanecore which has essentially replaced butt rock into bands that people deem "mid".

 

THAT makes more sense. My parents have SiriusXM so when I borrow their car, I typically am rotating between Lithium, SiriusXMU and Alt Nation. Octane is a little too Shinedown-like for my taste but I assume Rise Against is more likely to be played there than on Alt Nation at this point.

 

Also, since we're talking about Active Rock, I unironically think Rise Against "Audience Of One" could be a Nickelback song (and a good one!)

 

Absolutely

 

This is what has been playing on Octane within the last couple of hours.
https://xmplaylist.com/station/octane

 

When I did a big discography deep dive a few months ago, Wolves was the one that really felt the most uninspired. They pitched it as their "we're back and angry again" album, but (and maybe this is a consequence of the political moment) it was the first time I didn't feel they were challenging me at all as a listener. "Bullshit" and "Welcome To the Breakdown" in particular felt like the least interesting the band has ever been. Still, I don't hate all of it. "Mourning In Amerika" is a solid catchy tune, and "Miracle" is one of their better closers, though I don't think they've had a great closing track since "Survive."

I also developed a surprising appreciation for The Black Market, which I had pretty much dismissed when it came out.

 

The dead spot in the discography to me is The Black Market. Band just sounded exhausted on that album.

 

Am I the only one digging this?? 90s alt rock inspired and a change of pace. I get what they're going for and while it will never touch their best stuff, it's not as bad as y'all are making it sound. Damage Is Done in particular has a great lead guitar part, and Andy Hull sounds great on Black Crown.

Idk, I like it and I dig when bands do their "this is gonna be different" record.