RPM10 marks the 10th anniversary of the original breakthrough album (Revolutions Per Minute) that launched Rise Against into the lights, establishing their sound and securing their fan base. Re-issued on May 28th 2013, the album features the finished tracks from the original album produced under Fat Wreck Chords back in 2003, along with ten additional bonus demos of each of the singles.
Thrashing guitars, powerful vocals and thunder-like drumming make every single track in this album ferocious – even “Like The Angel”, which is considered to be the one song that falls under the ‘popular’ genre, is vigorous enough to blast your ear drums and get the heart pumping.
The additional demos featured within this re-issue are fantastic extras for fans. More often than not, there are only subtle differences in key or through different notes incorporated to the final production of the tracks. However, it does go to show that even the subtlest of changes to a song can make all the difference on the world – a nightmare for any perfectionists. One of the more noticeable changes noted from a demo track in particular was the lack of spoken intro in the demo version of “Last Chance Blueprint”, where the sample from the film American Beauty never originally appeared. The addition of this adds an extra element to the finished track, really emphasizing the meaning, of the need for escapism, behind the lyrics.
It’s quite refreshing to listen to an album that can show variety throughout, despite being ten years old, with such aggressive and powerful vocals from Tim McIlrath to express the meaning behind each song and its lyrics. One song in particular, “Blood-Red, White and Blue”, held a controversial message at the time of release over the conflicts of interest in attitudes towards war post 9-11 – the album was very much full of socio-political references such as this, showing how the band liked to test the boundaries, never afraid to express themselves.
Rise Against – Blood–Red, White and Blue
