Rage Against the Machine are back…mostly. Instrumentally, this is classic rage, big rock drums, prominent bass and Tom Morello making some absolute magic on his guitar. The only one missing is Zach de la Rocha, and unfortunately, he might have left an unfillable hole.
Try as they might, Chuck D and B-Real are not Zach, and the issue is that they try to be Zach, really hard, which brings more attention to what they’re lacking rather than what they’re adding. Both accomplished vocalists in their own right, neither is able to bring the raw intensity and power and instead just come off as Diet Rage Against the Machine rather than a whole new group with something to prove
There are some decent tracks to be found here, but none that will make their way into the pantheon of RATM classics, and some songs are just not very good at all (looking at you ‘Legalize Me‘). Most tracks have maybe a great chorus or verse or melody but unfortunately none really put them all together.
Prophets of Rage is an album that will likely get lost in the shuffle, however it does provide an excuse for a quarter of RATM to tour and play some classics, so it isn’t all bad.
