To say that a new album from Rise Against is something to truly behold as great news in 2025 has quite an emotional punch to it, and with Ricochet, Rise Against have delivered a melodic punk/hardcore masterpiece.

Never one to shy away from unpopular topics. To these ears Tim McIlrath and band have recorded a classic, with the band sounding urgent and ready for the fight, and a big thanks goes to the new production team, made up of producer Catherine Marks and mixer Alan Moulder.

Coming some four years after the band’s last album – 2021’s Nowhere Generation, Ricochet kicks straight into proceedings with ‘Nod’ which was released at the start of the year. And in this case, the nod is more like a headbutt. Getting straight in there and to the point therefore silencing any naysayers with a no holds barred aural assault. Declaring that this is indeed Rise Against for 2025 and ready for the fight.

‘I Want It All’ thankfully isn’t the Queen cover I originally expected but a spectacular call-to-arms rocker that revolves around a riff so infectious that it should come with a health warning. Coupled with lyrics exclaiming ‘It’s a wrecking ball, it’s a tidal wave’. You know this will become a live classic on their live shows from now on.

Next up is the title track ‘Ricochet’, and takes me back to better times with its sublime melody. The maturity that the band are showcasing on this album is giving me the reason I needed to revisit their back catalogue, as with similar bands of their ilk I found that going back to their roots can be problematic. However, that is not the case here as there is a clear progression and the band are clearly firing on all cylinders.

Having listened to this album a few weeks now – one thing screams louder than anything else and that is how we are all connected and the ricochet effect that ripples through everything. So with that being the central theme – the band which consists of Tim McIlrath on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Joe Principe on bass guitar, Zach Blair on lead guitar, and Brandon Barnes on drums – have created a wall of sound that has the ability to connect where other fear to tread.

Stand out songs for me are ‘Us Against The World’, ‘Forty Days’, and the urgency of ‘State of Emergency’ is captivating and asks why we are kept in a constant state of fear. It is this kind of thought provoking lyric matter that sets Rise Against head and shoulders above their peers and contemporaries.

One thing I did find strange was putting the second single out ‘Prizefighter’ as the last song on the album. But then again – nothing screams Punk Rock more than this! However, they may have saved the best until last here – the theme of mental health and community runs through each of these tracks but no more so here in this glorious ending to a great album.

So after all is said and done, Rise Against have created an album to be proud of, which going by their extensive back catalogue was always going to be the case. But I do honestly think that this can be held up there with their best! 

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Author: Dave Prince