Rise Against singer Tim McIlrath has a long history of animal-rights activism (examples here, here and here).
His new issue is SeaWorld, a San Diego company that has recently taken flak for its treatment of killer whales.
"Animals in a circus like Ringling Bros. and marine parks like SeaWorld were kidnapped from their families or born into a life of captivity," he said in a PETA-sponsored video (via AltPress). "Orcas are forced to live out their days like inmates serving a life sentence without parole."
Obviously, animal abuse is an important issue to tackle, so good for McIlrath. It's just different to see heavy rock bands take on causes usually reserved for more "sensitive" artists.
"Elephants are not meant to do handstands, Tigers are not meant to jump through rings of fire and dolphins are not meant to live in swimming pools," McIlrath said. "Animals deserve a life that's better than this. I make a choice every time I go out on stage, I choose to perform. Animals in captivity don't get to make that choice."
Check out the video evidence below:
Rise Against will join Linkin Park and Of Mice and Men on tour this January.
"After crossing paths with these guys at festivals around the world over the past decade, we're excited to finally share the road with Linkin Park," RA singer Tim McIlrath said. "We think this will be a great experience for all our collective fans."
RA also recently released a music video for "Tragedy + Time," a cut from their new record The Black Market. The album debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 back in July, and sold more than 50,000 copies in its first week.
Check out the new vid below:
