The ShortListen: Prophets of Rage (no. 352)

Who? Prophets of Rage

What’s the story? Announcing their return with the sound of sirens, this is what we've been waiting for - for a long time. Formed earlier this year by Rage Against The Machine and Audioslave comrades Brad Wilk, Tim Commerford together with Public Enemy's Chuck D and DJ Lord and Cypress Hill's B-Real, they declared to Rolling Stone that, "We're an elite task force of revolutionary musicians determined to confront this mountain of election year bullshit, and confront it head-on with Marshall stacks blazing." Their self-titled debut song, released at the same time they staged an open-air protest concert against the Republican Party's National Convention, is - excellently - exactly what you'd expect, opening up like the beginning of Testify before a giant riff kicks in, with Wilk's drumming particularly brutal. Expertly produced by Brendan O'Brien, there's just the tinge of regret that Zack de la Rocha doesn't pop in for a guest verse but otherwise, in a world where musicians seem strangely reluctant to get either angry, or political, this is exactly the Bombtrack that Rage fans the world over have been crying out for.

For fans of: Rage Against The Machine, Public Enemy, Cypress Hill, Audioslave

In three words: Truly welcome return