Rise Against - Ricochet (August 15th, 2025) Album • Page 16

I listen to a modern rock station and it plays a lot of new stuff. For instance, I just heard new White Reaper, Turnstile, Yellowcard, Muse, The Black Keys, Bad Suns and Fontaines DC just this morning alone.

 

There is a separation among rock stations though into what's classified as an alternative station and an active rock station.

Rise Against is not charting on alternative stations right now and are actually barely charting on active, where the top ten are Foo Fighters, Sleep Theory, Deftones, Bush, Nothing More, Shinedown, Architects, Ghost, and Chevelle.

Rise Against is #24.

I know that wasn't what was asked, but to loop it back into the band discussion...

Anyway, sounds like yours is an alternative station.

 

I'm about half way through and I probably like it more than at least two, maybe three, of their albums. I like when band's do something a lil different and I thought the comment in the news thread had a thread of truth:

For years the joke was "heard one RA song, heard them all":

So, yeah, almost one listen in and I like dig this and will give it a few more spins for sure to see where it sits in. I like rock music and there's some cool shit here. I could see myself coming back to this a bunch into the fall.

 

This is at LEAST better than the Black Market and parts of Wolves. The band themselves they struggled with their identity as a group during that time period whereas now they seem more confident in enjoying their position in the punk rock stratosphere but not wanting to rest on their laurels and do anniversary tours so they're making a different sounding record. I respect the hell outta that. It may not be for everybody but maybe that's not the point of it all. I'm just stoked they're still going, and watching live footage, Tim sounds better vocally than he has in a long time.

 

Agreed, whatever reception this gets, at least it's better than that album.

Though this one doesn't have a The Eco-Terrorist In Me, which is a banger and one of their best tracks from the later portion of their career. Despite being a curveball at the time, Zero Visibility would also sound right at home on this.

 

I like it more than I thought I would but I think it overall ain't really for me, gonna have to do a couple more listens before I'm 100% on that. I'm sure the songs are/will be great live. That all said, Andy Hull feature goes hard.

 

Yeah, that's my first impression as those are pretty significantly my least favorite in their catalog. I actually like the dirty fuzz on this album so much more than the toothless Wolves.

 

Wolves is a tough one because I'm still salty at them for hyping it so much when it was actually mostly mediocre. Doesn't help that it sounds like you're listening to 96 kbps mp3s downloaded on Limewire. Bullshit, Politics of Love and Mourning In Amerika are some of their worst songs ever. But then you have Miracle, Parts Per Million and Wolves on the other side which all rip. Welcome To The Breakdown is fun as well. I still get a kick out of the bouncy bridge on How Many Walls lol.

 

Ugh I just wish this mix didn't sound like absolute garbage. If it was a little more crisp it would make a world of difference for me.

 

Second listen through and first workout done with this album.

Damaged Goods, Up Against The World, and Black Crown are a strong stretch of songs.

 

This is pretty much exactly what I expected it to be after hearing the four singles. Decent songs that unfortunately don’t sound very good. I think Nod is a very good song with a mix that is doing it a major disservice. It sounded so much better live.

 

Very disappointed in the sound of the album. Sounds like it was recorded using a filter, the vocals sound so overproduced and the yelling is barely listenable, it's buried under the guitars so much.

 

I think there's a decent 3-3.5/5 album here but god is the production/mix bafflingly bad. why does it sound like this???

 

Really struggled to get through my first listen, but also trying to withhold judgment because my first impressions have often changed so much after some time with a record...problem is, I'm not sure I want to give it a second chance, given what an absolute slog it was to get through :/

 

I'm going to be honest, I dont understand how anyone finds this all that different from their previous few albums. It's not them changing things up, it's just a more boring version of the band they've been.

 

Absolutely. It was better than I was anticipating which was a 2.

No power to his voice, which might be occurring naturally but is exaggerated by the production. That's my main gripe. Cant see myself returning to it. Real shame.

 

3rd listen today and it took me back to Appeal To Reason for some reason. Especially Soldier.

But yeah, giant oooofff on the sound of this album. The songs just don’t breath at all.

 

I'm going to listen to it until.I like it. For now, the thing that bothers me is the lack of any memorable hooks and the lackluster energy. Hope I can eventually see what some others are seeing in this. I went in pretty excited for experimentation and ended up disappointed at how little of it I felt there was.

 

I think this is their best songwriting since 2007 and it’s a god dammed tragedy that the production ruins it.

 

Yeah, this is probably my favorite of theirs since Sufferer and easily better than their last 3 albums. I don't get the lack of energy complaints at all, we must not be listening to the same songs.

 

Ehh, I still like The Black Market.

You have some solid songs like The Eco-Terrorist In Me, Tragedy + Time, Methadone and one of my favourite b-sides from them with About Damn Time.

 

I am liking this more than I thought based on my lukewarm reaction to all of the singles. Excited to sit with this one more, though the new Kerosene Heights album is hitting harder for me right now so this may take the backburner this weekend.

 

Yea unfortunately the production is doing it for me too. Really don't care for how Tim's voice sounds on it, like I imagine most of the songs are gonna be pretty fun live. I still don't love the album outside of the production, the songs are just like, fine. I commend them for sort of trying something new, although yea it's not like something completely new for them. I think it hurts more because they're coming off of an album that I think was more of a return to form, Nowhere Generation I enjoyed more than Endgame, The Black Market, and Wolves and it's disappointing to see them come out with something pretty much mostly whatever sounding to me again.

 

It occurs to me going through the lyrics that Soldier and Prizefighter are pretty explicitly about their relationship with their fans (like a modern version of To The Core).

I'm curious if anyone who likes this album has any standout lyrics so far?

 

After first listen, Black Crown is a standout for me, could end up one of my fav Rise Against songs.
A second listen required to fully digest the rest, and Black Crown again to make sure it's not the Andy Hull feature over-influencing me.