This is music made to agitate, not seduce, and at that it succeeds triumphantly.
They've become a great band that cuts through irony at the same time it piles up contradictions. It´s an achievement, one that will stand even if the biggest flames they ever get to fan are at a Woodstock bonfire.
De la Rocha is best when he has specific targets, but when he attempts to cover more general societal problems, he falters. If anything less than one of the most talented and fiery bands in the music world were backing him, The Battle of Los Angeles wouldn't be nearly as high-rated as it is.
Rage Against the Machine may never ignite the youth war they want to see. But at last, with The Battle of Los Angeles, they've managed to win a war within — one in which the band's notoriously feuding members have come together to produce a sound that's not quite louder than a bomb but that's definitely as loud as Led Zeppelin II.
#51 | / | Spin (1985-2009) |
#74 | / | Rolling Stone (1990s) |
#201 | / | SPIN (1985-2014) |