PROPHETS OF RAGE: Prophets of Rage
Perhaps the most frustrating aspect of Rage Against The Machine's break-up was the fact that we'll never get to know what Zack de la Rocha has to say about the modern social climate. One of rock and roll's great ironies: They were probably the most outspoken bunch of political activists to ever hit mainstream radio, and they broke up literally days before George W. Bush arrived in office. To think what a Rage song might have sounded like in the Trump era...
In their stead, we're getting Prophets of Rage, a supergroup that finds the other three members of Rage teaming up with Public Enemy's Chuck D and Cypress Hill's B Real to carry on the anarchist's hard rock cookbook. The easy joke here is that it takes two aging hip-hoppers to fill in for a singular talent like Zach de la Rocha.
The average supergroup is usually exactly that: average. But for what it's worth, Prophets of Rage have been paying their dues, earning good word of mouth on blistering, high-energy live shows. And their new self-titled album sounds pretty much like what you'd expect from a Rage/PE/Cypress Hill mash-up- a little old-school, sure, but loud and proud.
Album opener Radical Eyes is strikingly catchy; Chuck D commands lead vocals like it's 1989 all over again, while B Real's nasal growl fills out the chorus perfectly. Don't be fooled by the Limp Bizkity song title Unfuck the World- once you get past the silliness of that refrain, it's a song full of classic Tom Morello fire power. There are some duds in the bunch: Legalize Me and Take Me Higher suffer from sophomoric, first-drafty lyrics. But there are also plenty of songs that will make all the old Rage fans proud: Hail To The Chief and Who Owns Who would have fit nicely on The Battle of Los Angeles.
Sure, these guys are well into their 50's, and it's a little odd hearing hard rock hip-hop tunes from a bunch of guys who ruled the charts during the Clinton years. But I think we can all agree, the political climate is more ripe than ever for some fired-up protest music. And if Zach doesn't care to go on the record, this one will do just fine for now. B
