With hardcore anthems that raged against teen apathy in the Bush era, these Chicagoans began as a thinking punk’s alternative to the chain-wallet angst of groups like Sum41 and Simple Plan. Then they cracked the Top 10 with 2006’s excellent The Sufferer And The Witness and the follow-up Appeal To Reason nailed it yet again… And Rise Against counts legions of die-hard fans worldwide by now. Their songs are driven by an ever-sharpening pop sensibility. Rise Against has dirtied up the chugga-chugga riffs with the Reagan-era spit shine of bands like Black Flag, but big choruses and radio-friendly hooks still anchor their powerful skate-punk pogo beat tunes and shout-along refrains. Rise Against may be nervous about leaving the underground behind, but with sharp songs like these, they’re ready for the rest of the world.