I know I wasn’t the only person out there pissed at the world nearly a decade ago when Rage Against the Machine broke up, wondering if music could ever be the same again. Growing up during Rage’s prime, no other band could compare to the amazing, poignant rhymes of De La Rocha or Morello’s intricate guitar lines. I waited for years for a solo project from De La Rocha that never really happened, I got excited for the Nightwatchman and just became disappointed. I even had hopes for a new Rage album after the tours started last year, but, as you know, I’m still waiting. Well, that was until yesterday.
The One Day as a Lion EP, created by Zack De La Rocha and former Mars Volta drummer John Theodore, represents something marginal, even invisible in a lot of music. Using just a synth, a drum kit, and a microphone, Zack and John have crafted an angry, poetic, pulsing tour-de-groove built within an atmosphere of political and social turmoil. But who would expect anything less. The first track, “Wild International”, reminds one of the Battle of Los Angelos with a bassy synth line and a drum beat that makes you think something is creeping up behind you. He uses the track to call out radio and cultural insanity. One line in particular, “in this era where djs behave be paid to be slaves we raid airwaves to be sane” has a particular resonance as of late. Even the vocal effects used as the end of the track serve to heighten a different kind of mood from De La Rocha. You no longer sense that he’s willing to lead the revolution, but rather just bring on the apocalypse. The next track, “Ocean View”, has a different tone to it, faster, more driven. Instead of just rapping, Zack even develops a vocal line that sounds like something out of Soundgarden. Its the third track, “Last Letter”, thats made me smile for the past few days. This, minus the Morello influence, sounds the most like an early Rage track (think Down Rodeo) with a raspy De La Rocha belting out lines between a nearly overpowering synth/drum combo. But there’s something different as well, something I can’t put my finger on, and maybe thats what makes me so excited. “If you Fear dying (then you’re already dead)” continues to showcase Zack’s rhyme skills. “I’m in the spirit of ali toure as I target more heads than a priest on ash wednesday” and “Why would we ever let a few white christian fictions shape our tomorrow following them cause tomorrow got a gun to its head” combine his unique style with the political commentary so desperately needed now. Finally, the title track kicks off with John Theodore letting you know why he’s the drummer for the job. He presents a crushing line that fills in the gaps left by De La Rocha’s synth and crafts a jam that could work at a political rally as well as a gritty dance club.
I’m not sure what I’m gonna do if this project culminates in the EP without Zack and John putting in the work toward a full album. I don’t know what we can do in the next decade without De La Rocha’s call to arms.
