Rise Against Return With New Song, 'The Violence'

Rise Against's 'The Violence' is more of a marketed appeal than a suffering siren song.

Three years since the overall disappointment that was 2014's 'The Black Market', it's finally here - some brand new Rise Against for us all to muse over.

Okay, the big news first. 'Wolves' will be the title of Rise Against's next album - their eighth record overall - and it will be released on June 9th via EMI Australia/Capitol Records. Secondly, today, the quartet has also unveiled that record's first cut, 'The Violence', whose sound and tone is akin to that of an 'Appeal To Reason' track or a single from 'The Black Market'.

For better or for worse.

As anyone even superficially familiar with the band's 18-year career and soon-to-be eight records, Rise Against have held their music and their collective moral compasses as steadfast as one possibly can in the music/entertainment industry. And with this upcoming album, the band is putting out a far and wide call to arms for their fans and anyone that will listen to "recognise the power within", and to endeavour to "creating a space that's dangerous for injustice" as frontman Tim McIlrath puts it. Which is, if I'm being honest, just preaching to the adoring choir, but hey, whatever.

Now, Rise Against chose to record this eighth full-length with Grammy-winning producer Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Alice in Chains, Deftones, among others). Recording with Raskulinecz last year meant temporarily relocating to Nashville, Tennesse for a short time - far from the band's native Chicago and Los Angeles respectively. Tennesse is also a state where Rise Against has apparently rarely ever played over their career, and this setting had a strong influence upon on the album. (I mean, a heavily left-wing band in a typically right-wing/conservative leaning state that's as stereotyped as U.S. states get? Of course, it'll have some impact.)

“Living in Nashville drove home that we can't just focus on our differences,” McIlrath said via a press release, adding of the record's greater message that “If we can stop and talk to each other, face to face, we might realise our common ground. We are all wolves in the same pack, circling at the gates."

Corny? Kind of, but I appreciate the sentiment nonetheless.

Pre-orders for 'Wolves' begin today, and like any pre-orders these days, once you purchase the digital album you'll instantly receive 'The Violence' as a token waiting gesture. See below for the album's full track listing:

1. Wolves

2. House On Fire

3. The Violence

4. Welcome To The Breakdown

5. Far From Perfect

6. Bullshit

7. Politics of Love

8. Parts Per Million

9. Mourning in Amerika

10. How Many Walls

11. Miracle