Battle Of Los Angeles

11/02/1999 3:00 AM, Yahoo! Music
Janiss Garza

Rage Against The Machine is probably the only group in existence that can make a political statement with the very release date of their album: The Battle Of Los Angeles hit stores on Tuesday, November 2--election day. Like the rock/hop band's two prior records, this one is a fierce call to arms. There's one difference, however--Battle soars so far above the already excellent discs that preceded it that it may mark a pinnacle in the quartet's career. From the blasting rhythms of opener "Testify" to the rabble-rousing imagery of end track "War Within a Breath," Battle explodes with eloquence and power.

Musically, RATM's self-titled debut and sophomore disc, Evil Empire, are practically interchangeable; the growth on the new disc is phenomenal, even considering that it has been three years since Evil Empire came out. The aforementioned "Testify" is touched with hints of jazz, while "Sleep Now in the Fire" features soulful, '60s-style riffage. "New Millennium Homes" coolly holds back, creating tension like a panther ready to spring. The spare verses of "Guerrilla Radio" only heighten the sheer force of its choruses.

In attacking such issues as runaway capitalism and the gross unfairness of Mumia Abu-Jamal's trial, singer Zack de la Rocha has written his best rhymes yet. His striking revolutionary poetry--the hypnotic, accusing inventories of "Calm Like A Bomb" and the searing narrative of an illegal in "Maria," for example--are challenges to take action. For the 45-minute duration of this record, you really believe that a rock band can help change the world. Better yet, the echo it leaves behind places the responsibility on the listener.