Rise Against Unleash Blistering New Single ‘The Violence’, Announce New Album ‘Wolves’

Rise Against have dispensed with all of the cryptic mumbo jumbo and given the people exactly what they want: a brand new tune and the announcement of an epic AF-looking new album.

Their eighth studio LP has been christened Wolves and is preceded by a new rapid-fire slice of politically-charged anthemic punk dubbed ‘The Violence’ which you can check out below (the band teased a snippet of the song earlier this week).

Like all their previous LPs, Wolves is a highly conceptual record built around a strong theme of social justice.

“In many ways, a Rise Against show is a safe space for our fans,” explains lead singer Tim McIlrath says.

“But I realised that I don’t only want to create safe spaces, I want to create dangerous spaces where misogyny can’t exist, where xenophobia can’t exist. I want to create spaces where those sentiments don’t have any air, and they suffocate: where those ideas die. Wolves isn’t about creating a safe space, it’s about creating a space that’s dangerous for injustice.”

The band have also penned a lengthy ‘mission statement’ detailing what the concept of the album means to them, and how they want it to impact their fans.

It reads:

I think of WOLVES as an identity. An identity that, in the wake the current political climate, people are starting to find organically. Many of the places Rise Against plays around the world have seen gradual changes in the political climates. We have watched people slowly give intolerance, misguided fear, and eventually, hate a seat at the table.

Those of us who oppose and resist this rising tide of dangerous rhetoric are often characterized as complainers, crybabies, sore losers or ’snowflakes.’ These convenient and dismissive tags might be comforting for those who use them. But the reality is different. They may have the throne, but we are the wolves at the gate.

Our ideas have teeth. Our vision has claws. Our appetite for change is voracious. Our prey is outnumbered and we’re circling in for the kill.

So the music on this record is the soundtrack to this new hunt that we find ourselves on. Some of us are new to these ideas, some of us have been preparing for this fight our whole lives. Further, the issues are global, so this record isn’t just about our home and what is happening here. What is happening here in our country has either already happened in its own way in other places, or is in danger of happening elsewhere.

Like all Rise Against records, there are also songs on here that tackle not just the political, but the personal. Ideally, our songs aim to be as complex as our fans are.

So as we march unapologetically into 2017, we assume these new identities with our fan base and wear them like armor into the fight: We are the WOLVES.

The punk veterans worked with Grammy-winning producer Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Alice in Chains, Deftones) on the follow-up to 2014’s critically acclaimed LP The Black Market, which is due to hit shelves on Friday, 9th June.

Pre-orders are available now, and we probably don’t need to remind you guys that, when Rise Against released their last album, they went on to play an Aussie headline tour soon after, meaning we could well be in for another one sometime soon.

In the meantime, catch their new single ‘The Violence’ alongside the official artwork and track listing for Wolves below.

‘Wolves’ Tracklist

1. Wolves

2. House On Fire

3. The Violence

4. Welcome To The Breakdown

5. Far From Perfect

6. Bulls***

7. Politics of Love

8. Parts Per Million

9. Mourning in Amerika

10. How Many Walls

11. Miracle

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