DVD Review: Rage Against The Machine – Live at Finsbury Park

DVD Review: Rage Against The Machine – Live at Finsbury Park
Eagle Rock Entertainment
All Access Rating: A

Rage Against The Machine -
Live at Finsbury Park 2015

Every so often, good does triumph over evil. "Live at Finsbury Park" is a reminder that occasionally the underdog wins, if it's on the side of the angels. Of course, it helps having a force of nature like Rage Against The Machine driving the grassroots campaign behind it.

For those not familiar with the story, a short history lesson. The presumptive Christmas No. 1 hit in 2009 on the U.K. singles chart was bound to be whatever corporate, lightweight pop drivel Simon Cowell's "X Factor" winner had excreted. Then, along came Jon and Tracy Morter.

Tired of seeing Cowell's patronage result in yet another undeserving holiday season score for his formulaic, pandering hit machine, the English DJ and his wife crafted this modest proposal: How about giving Rage Against The Machine's "Killing In The Name"  a chance at No. 1? Their indomitable promotional campaign led to a chart upset that wiped that smirk right off Cowell's smug face. The people had spoken. "Killing In The Name" set records for downloading and claimed that top spot on Christmas despite Cowell's prediction that such a travesty would never occur.

And so, in keeping with a promise RATM vocalist Zach de la Rosa made, Rage played a celebratory free concert in the U.K. to express their gratitude and encourage more rebellion against the forces of commerce and tyranny in general. Available on DVD, Blu-ray and in digital formats via Eagle Rock Entertainment, "Live in Finsbury Park" documents in spectacular fashion that blistering performance with some of the most dynamic and exciting cinematography ever choreographed in a concert DVD. Colorful, clear imagery of the band in full throat, leaping about the stage with reckless abandon and wild-eyed energy and laying down infectious, thick grooves for a massive, writhing throng of people, not only flows together logically, but also effortlessly frames the incendiary action from a variety of angles.

A modern-day MC5, with a passionate rapper/singer in de la Rosa spouting socially conscious lyrics through an incendiary delivery, Rage Against The Machine is riveting onstage, hardly taking a breath as they ferociously attack favorites such as "Bombtrack," "Guerilla Radio," "People of the Sun" and "Bullet in the Head" and stomp all over "Bulls on Parade." The tense build-up of opener "Testify" lays the groundwork for the series of explosions that take place over a concise set that includes a furious cover of The Clash's "White Riot," all of it leading up to the grand finale, an overpowering version of "Killing In The Name" that burns the place to the ground.

From the skittering guitar scratchings and other innovative machinations of Tom Morello to the intense bashing of drummer Brad Wilk and the strong currents of menacing, insurgent bass lines of Tim Commerford, Rage is on fire, basking in the moment and exhorting the multitudes not to give up the fight, even as they themselves splinter off in different directions. A short behind-the-scenes featurette, coupled with an interview with the Morters and a booklet full of rich concert photography round out a package of historical importance. Unfortunately, it's also a tease for those who wish Rage was more active and doing this sort of thing all the time.
– Peter Lindblad

CD Review: Black Sabbath – 13

CD Review: Black Sabbath – 13

Universal Republic

All Access Rating: A-

Black Sabbath - 13 2013

13 is a matter of life and death for Black Sabbath. The harsh truth of the matter is the godfathers of heavy metal may not be long for this world. 

Tony Iommi’s cancer scare has certainly given them pause to consider their own mortality, and if Iommi is to be believed, it was his health concerns that led Sabbath to move on without original drummer Bill Ward and get 13 made with someone else – namely, Brad Wilk, of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave fame. Time waits for no one, not even Black Sabbath.

The grim reaper hasn’t come knocking on their doors just yet, however. As 13 proves, Sabbath is, thankfully, still alive and kicking up a monstrous racket of doom-laden metal that’s reminiscent of that haunting and truly unsettling first album that signaled such a turbulent sea change in rock music back in 1970. Rife with meditations on dying and the afterlife, as well as existential thoughts on whether the Almighty still has a pulse, 13 is the heaviest, blackest tar Sabbath has stirred in decades, just as producer Rick Rubin intended. And yet, some of that sludge Sabbath is so famous for has been washed off. Cleaned off somewhat, the snarling, brass-knuckled sound of 13 is bone-crushing, as that serrated edge to Iommi’s crunching, growling riffs and his intensely focused solos saws through steel, throwing sparks into the air.

Inhabiting both heaven and hell, with sympathy for the devil and his Maker, the lurching 8:52 first single “God is Dead” seems to move in slow motion – as if sizing up its prey – right up to the bridge, which twists and swings like a bridge during an earthquake. Surging with energy, as Iommi’s guitar slashes like a broadsword, it seems as if Sabbath has discovered an ancient and evil groove, pulled out of the ground by its roots by Geezer Butler’s brawny bass lines and reanimated for the garment-rending, circling menace of “Live Forever.” That survival instinct is kicking in, although the grave doesn’t seem like such a bad option on 13.

Stretching out long past seven minutes, as most tracks on 13 do, the gnarled psychedelic-blues of “Damaged Soul” ponderously crawls through the wreckage of a life in ruins, while “Dear Father” is a slow, steady climb up a mountain of emotional garbage – the remains of a broken relationship with a not-so loving parent. And “Loner” is almost as depressing, as Iommi stacks cement blocks of riffs to create a movable wall of thick, impenetrable sound – the kind the subject of the song might build internally to shut out the outside world.

Mangled guitars, writhing bass lines and crashing drums surround Ozzy Osbourne’s rather dour vocals, which fits 13’s downtrodden mood like a velvet glove. Shifts in tempo and melodic current occur, but they are not abrupt. Sabbath flows easily from detour to detour, never needing a GPS to find their way back to the main road – although it’s easy to get lost in the lush, mysterious “Zeitgeist,” the snaky conga drums and brushed acoustic guitars bringing to mind “Planet Caravan.” Sabbath’s past is omnipresent on 13, which makes the whole musical direction of the record seem calculated and not as naturally or organically inspired as perhaps it should appear.

Nevertheless, 13 is a lucky number for Sabbath. With its tenacious hooks, the album bearing those numerals has given them their first No. 1 record in 43 years. Maybe God isn’t dead after all. http://www.republicrecords.com/

–    Peter Lindblad

Metal Evolution - "Nu Metal"

Metal Evolution: Nu Metal - Episode 108
Sam Dunn
VH1 Classic


All Access Review: B+

Woodstock ’99 was burning and blame for the mayhem was placed squarely on Fred Durst and the rap-metal hooligans of Limp Bizkit. Destruction of property, flat-out arson, even the reports of rape that allegedly occurred in the mosh pit – at least in part, Limp Bizkit was responsible for all of it. Witnesses for the prosecution, some of whom give their testimony in “Nu Metal,” the most recent episode in Sam Dunn’s “Metal Evolution” series, which appears on VH-1 Classic, say Durst, in particular, fanned the flames of the riots that forced organizers to prematurely bring Woodstock ’99 to an ugly end. Even Korn’s Jonathan Davis, a one-time Bizkit ally, turns on Durst, telling Dunn that instead of attempting to calm a crowd that was growing increasingly mad, Durst egged them on. He exhorted the crowd to “break stuff,” and the mindless thugs followed his lead.

Durst, unapologetically, remembers things differently. Expressing little, if any remorse, Durst recalls the Bizkit Woodstock ’99 show as the “greatest concert ever.” And then, showing a little of that adolescent petulance that Durst is infamous for, he sulks about how nobody ever wanted Limp Bizkit playing in the same sand box as the nu metal children. The rap guys didn’t want to be lumped in with metal and the metal guys didn’t want anything to do with hip-hop, continues Durst. That’s too simple of an explanation of why Limp Bizkit has been ostracized from the music community since the violence at Woodstock’99. Battles with other bands, the departure of guitarist Wes Borland and lukewarm albums in the aftermath of Three Dollar Bill Y’All and Significant Other all combined to doom Bizkit, and to his credit, Durst admits to Dunn that this monster that he created called Fred Durst could have handled things better. Clearly, some anger management counseling would have done him a world of good. Or, maybe he just needed to grow up a little.

The story of Limp Bizkit dominates much of the second half of Dunn’s look at “Nu Metal,” and with good reason. Bizkit blew up in the late ‘90s on the strength of Significant Other’s massive single “Nookie.” As crazy as it sounds, considering his explosive temper, Durst even became a label executive at Interscope Records – that fact escaping Dunn, along with the failure to mention that Bizkit’s Woodstock ’99 performance came a day before the disastrous riots. Still, there’s something unsatisfying about placing so much emphasis on Limp Bizkit, especially considering there are far more influential nu metal bands Dunn could have spent more time on. Ah, but perhaps that’s just a personal preference, even though you get the feeling from “Nu Metal” that Dunn – who plainly admits to not being a big fan of nu metal, while also reluctantly admitting that it does, indeed, have its place in the history and developmental of heavy metal – also wish he could give more attention to the Sepulturas, the Korns, and the Rage Against The Machines of the world.

All of them get their moment in the sun in “Nu Metal,” and this is where Dunn gets it right. Where the Limp Bizkit segments seem to focus too much on the controversy surrounding the band, when the subject turns to Pantera, Rage, Korn and Sepultura, Dunn digs his fingers into the groundbreaking nature of nu metal. With Pantera, Dunn’s interest lies with the band’s adherence to deep grooves and an unyielding devotion to what Phil Anselmo refers to as the “money riff.” As for Rage, it’s the combination of music and message that gets top billing, with guitarist Tom Morello also talking about the band’s meshing of ‘70s hard rock riffs, thick grooves and his own role as a sort of DJ bringing his six-string “eccentricities.” And Korn’s Fieldy and Davis discuss at length about the band’s Sacramento origins and its innovative use of detuned strings.

But, it all goes back to Anthrax and the band’s monumental summit rap-metal summit with Public Enemy on their collaborative 1991 reworking of “Bring the Noise,” and Dunn starts his exploration of “Nu Metal” there before moving on – at Scott Ian’s request – to Faith No More. Even if nu metal has its detractors and those who aren’t so sure that the integration of metal and rap was done as artfully as it could have been, there were, and still are, bands that do it well. Dunn’s interviews nicely hone in on what was crucial to the rise of nu metal, and his dexterous use of concert images and video footage, as always, is on display here, as is Dunn’s singular ability to make you feel as if you are accompanying him on this journey and that his interest in the subject matter is genuine and sincere. Time, again, is his enemy. There’s only so much a filmmaker can pack into an hour’s program, and Dunn’s fills to the brim with insightful commentary and well-paced storytelling. Woodstock ’99 may have been nu metal’s Altamont, but as Dunn shows, it didn’t end there. And neither does the story of heavy metal.

-        Peter Lindblad

Metal Evolution Nu Metal

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