The Black Market is the seventh studio album by American punk rock band Rise Against, released on July 15, 2014 through Interscope Records.

A melodic hardcore album, The Black Market comprises twelve songs that focus on mid-tempo rhythm, vocal hooks, and strong bridge sections.

The album's thematically introspective lyrics are a departure from the band's typical social and political topics, and revolve around dark subject matter.

After touring in support of their 2011 album Endgame, Rise Against took a year-long hiatus, and began recording The Black Market in January 2014 at the Blasting Room in Fort Collins, Colorado.

The band members employed new recording techniques, such as greater usage of analog signals on a Kemper amplifier, and an Evertune bridge to keep the guitars in tune.

The Black Market debuted at number three on the Billboard 200, becoming Rise Against's fourth consecutive album to chart within the top ten.

[9] McIlrath noted the new theme arose from the idea that the band members were seven albums into their career, and that the lyrics necessitated a new approach.

"[8] AllMusic's Gregory Heaney described The Black Market as a more toned-down version of Endgame,[9] while Andy Biddulph of Rock Sound said it was the amalgamation of all of Rise Against's previous material.

[11] Biddulph wrote how the album featured the "pressing riffs" of The Sufferer & the Witness (2006) mixed with the pop punk sound of Appeal to Reason (2008).

[4] The first song on The Black Market, "The Great Die-Off", begins with instrumentation on a violin before transitioning into a fast guitar section with heavy bass.

[4] The next two songs, "I Don't Want to Be Here Anymore" and "Tragedy + Time" feature more personal messages; "I Don't Want to Be Here Anymore" is about resolving to escape from the dark moments in one's life, while pop punk-driven "Tragedy + Time" tells the listener to push through hardship and that life will eventually get better.

McIlrath noted that the band experimented with the sonics on "Sudden Life", and how he felt it sounded similar to the music of U2 and Foo Fighters.

[4] The penultimate song is an acoustic ballad called "People Live Here", which references gun control and the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

[12] On April 14, 2014, Rise Against posted a video on their Facebook page teasing a new album with images of the band members in-studio and the message "Coming Soon.

"[3] Two months later, Rise Against posted another teaser video, which revealed their seventh studio album, titled The Black Market, would be released July 15.

[34] The song featured two B-sides: the previously unreleased "About Damn Time" and "We Will Never Forget", a spoken word performance by American journalist Will Potter.

[36] The "Tragedy + Time" video features the band performing amidst a series of white blocks as darkened shadows blur their image.

[38] For its 6th anniversary, the band released an expanded version of the album on July 15, 2020, which included the Japanese bonus track "Escape Artist" and the B-sides from "The Eco-Terrorist in Me" Single.

[12] Heaney said The Black Market's music worked in tandem with the personal lyrics, as it allowed the listener to experience other emotions besides outrage; this sentiment was shared by Hickie.

[17] Biddulph wrote the use of pop rock driven melodies "ensures they’re not at their worst, but the middling nature of this album means the Chicago veterans are certainly nowhere near their finest".