[rating=3.50]
Rage Against the Machine being on a recording hiatus during an election year…just doesn’t seem right. So enter the next best thing, aside from a Tom Morello solo album: One Day As a Lion. Featuring RATM frontman Zack de la Rocha and former Mars Volta member Jon Theodore, One Day As a Lion kicks stripped-down rap rock with its over the top political fury on this five song self-titled debut EP.
With no guitars or bass, de la Rocha handles vocals and keyboards with Theodore on drums. The distinct Zak hip-hop vocal style is back and his keyboards even borrow from Morello’s machine gun riff book. “Wild International,” “If You Fear Dying,” and the title track all rival some of RATM’s strongest tracks full of bold experimental sounds that all kill. Although still very raw, One Day As a Lion is no Rage, but they are a bolder alternative than Audioslave.
