Notes & Personnel Info |  | Full title: A Tribute To Rage Against The Machine. | | A Tribute to Rage Against the Machine includes 12 cover versions of the band's material that range from mediocre to laughable. Rage's sonic fury is easy to replicate -- just buy an enormous amplifier and crank it up. The combo's punishing rhythms can also be reproduced -- simply hire a talented drummer. But it's unclear what the producers were thinking when they enlisted two studio nobodies to tackle the spitting, seething vitriol of Rage vocalist Zack de la Rocha. Love him or hate him, you have to admit that it was de la Rocha's brazen mixture of street-level rap with classroom intellectualism and vintage hardcore yapping that sold the world on swallowing Rage's bitter pill. Sure, Tom Morello's innovative axe work was another key, but most of it can be imitated by any Guitar World subscriber with too much time on his hands. No, it was de la Rocha that made Rage, just as his departure caused its dissolution. That said, A Tribute to Rage Against the Machine is filled with unfortunate moments where its dueling throats try their damndest to muster a reputable impersonation of de la Rocha, and fail hilariously. This collection's only saving grace is its music, which occasionally locks into the same crushing groove as the originals. "Renegades of Funk" is a standout, as is "Bombtrack" and "Killing in the Name." ~ Johnny Loftus |
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