Audioslave bugs me. They had two decent singles on their debut album but the second one sounded way too much like they were just going through the motions. Morello goes out and channels Johnny-Cash as the Nightwatchman, and Cornell decides to Carry On without the rest of the band and I’m thinking Christ Almighty what the hell are these guys doing?
Meanwhile, de la Rocha had been stuffing around for the past two years post-Rage with lots of recordings but no actual releases. Then, in late April, it happened: Rage Against the Machine headlined the final day of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, and rumors of a permanent reunion began to stir.
And suddenly, there it was: ratm82407.com. Looking for all the world like a forum discussing Lost, the innocuous domain had little more than a countdown and the opening riff of “Bulls on Parade” on repeat. Exactly what happens 77 days from now is anyone’s guess, although the guys over at Vietnow.org already have a couple of theories.
Honestly, I can’t wait. Rage’s brand of righteous (some would say “self-”) wrath has never quite been replicated by any other group, and the fact that they’ve got a genius like Morello on guitar makes them easily one of my all-time favorite rock groups. (I’ve personally got my fingers crossed that the clock counts down to a live album release of the Coachella performance. That would be sweet.)