Chicago’s Rise Against are celebrating the 10th anniversary of their breakthrough album, Revolutions Per Minute, with a reissue out May 28th. This edition of Revolutions Per Minute (dubbed RPM10) features 10 bonus tracks of demos along with the originally recorded album and expanded packaging. Recorded at the Blasting Room and produced by Jason Livermore and the renowned Bill Stevenson of the Descendents, this quintessential album shaped Rise Against’s sound with elements of hardcore, punk, and ripples of emo that cascade into what we know of the band today.
Bass player Joe Principe, vocalist Tim McIlrath, guitarist Todd Mohney and drummer Brandon Barnes headed to the Blasting Room in 2002, armed with their new material. “We wrote these songs above an antique store in Chicago where the owner would rent roach-infested rooms to bands… In a post 9-11 fervor, the powers that be had just finished lying to the public and swindled their way into entering what would become the longest war in our country’s history (which seeped into songs like “Blood Red, White & Blue”),” says McIlrath.
Obviously, 10 years later, the results speak for themselves. Revolutions Per Minute still stands out as a hallmark release for Rise Against, Fat Wreck Chords, and the hardcore punk genre in general. RPM10 is the perfect tip of the cap to such an extraordinary album.