After several mixed reviews from their previous album Endgame, which focused on the political troubles of the country such as violence and corruption, the punk rock/melodic band Rise Against looked to bounce back with their new album release The Black Market.

Released in July of this year, The Black Market sold 53,000 copies in its debut week and was number 3 on the US Billboard 200. Not only was the album selling strong in the US but it also received support internationally taking Canada’s number 1 spot on their top 100 Billboard and number 13 on the UK’s top 100 Billboard.

Personally, I loved what Rise Against did with Endgame, incorporating big political issues throughout the album, as I like both punk rock and politics. However, not everyone enjoys politics and just wants to listen to punk rock for what it is, an energy based genre.

Which is why I believe that anyone who likes punk rock, or just rock in general, would enjoy the album or should at least give it a chance. The album really goes back to the band’s previous  efforts on Appeal to Reason and The Suffer and The Witness, which include songs that are very easy to follow along with, which can help make the songs relatable.

The album starts with the song “The Great Die Off,” which sets the tone and pacing of the album with vintage high energy Rise Against style. The band does a great job of making their first track on the album grab the listener’s attention and wanting to listen to the next song. The next four songs that follow give off the same style until and energy until the song “The Eco-Terrorist in me” which is a sample from their first albums.

They really make it seem like they follow a pattern in their albums when it comes to the contents. There are two songs that seem out of place, but if you’ve been listening to Rise Against for a while however you’ll realize that that’s just how they make their albums. “The Eco terrorist in me” is more melodic than punk and is something that you would find on an earlier Rise Against album. But I think the band does a really good job of incorporating songs like these in their albums to get the support of their longtime fans since their style has changed over the years. The second song that seems out of place is “People live here.”  Every Rise Against album has a song that is slower paced and focuses on a serious political issue. While I don’t think these type of songs are their strong point I do feel like they are songs that most listeners can feel the most attached too when thinking of memorable Rise Against songs.

If you aren’t sure on whether you want to give the album a listen or not, a good song to get you started off is the title song, “The Black Market.” In most cases songs that are titled after the album are meant to attract the listener and get them wanting more. As the song that the album is titled for, it makes the listener expect more of it having the mentality of “they named this song after the album it must be there best one,” and “The Black Market” is no exception; it’s one of the better Rise Against songs, and my personal favorite of the album. The song has its own unique style and isn’t like any of the previous Rise Against songs. The song starts off really slow with a guitar then switches to a faster pace as the song progresses without completely becoming a high energy song because of how Tim McIlrath keeps his tone throughout the song. Trying out a new style could be risky, especially on a song that is going to get the most attention, but I think it’s a style that fits what the messages the try to get across and hope they continue to incorporate in their next albums to come.

Overall, the album is not my favorite Rise Against album, mostly because The Suffer and the Witness was the first album by Rise Against I listened to and I have the most connection with. The album does however go toe to toe with my second favorite album Appeal to Reason which I believe The Black Market has the most resemblance stylistically. The album is a great value, including 12 songs and running for $9.99 or $1.29 per song on iTunes. For those looking for a different music experience, The Black Market is definitely worth a look at ending with a final rating of 8/10 from me.