Rise Against

Doomsday scenarios are often predictive about an ending in life, revealing just what would occur if the world pushed itself to the brink of extinction. And the term "endgame" typically parallels such thinking, often evoking concepts of finality or termination.

But for Rise Against, this particular endgame might just be their beginning.

As the title of the band's sixth full-length studio album—and the moniker of the album's title track—Endgame is indicative of both a world that has run its course, and perhaps ushering in an entirely new start.

"It's about a dangerous time in civilization, the end of life," says vocalist/guitarist Tim McIlrath. "What if the life that we're living right now is this unsustainable bubble that cannot go on and perhaps does not deserve to go on? What if the world we created is a place that is so unnatural and ugly that it is a world that needs to come to an end, so that we could have a world that is better for everybody? It sounds very utopian, but it's not about a perfect place, but maybe some of these things we're doing, they need to come to an end."

McIlrath, bassist Joe Principe, drummer Brandon Barnes and guitarist Zach Blair have been making these striking personal and political statements, and providing prompts of great magnitude throughout their remarkable catalog by offering songs that aren't just merely sung, but very much thought about.

And it's thought that has made Rise Against such an important band to its ever-expanding fanbase. For the Chicago-based punk group, the creation of dialogue and discourse with listeners has allowed for a response and career trajectory that's been overwhelmingly positive since the band's launch over a decade ago.