EP Review: Prophets of Rage – The Party’s Over (Self Released)

Prophets of Rage are basically Rage Against the Machine without Zack De La Rocha on vocals. Instead Chuck D of Public Enemy & B-Real of Cyprus Hill share the mic & the end result is distinctly average.

Consisting of two original songs (one of which is a reimagined version of a Public Enemy song) & three live cover songs, this is as bare bones as an EP can possibly be. The first song, Prophets of Rage begins well but when the uninspired rapping starts it quickly loses momentum.

A major part of why Rage Against The Machine are so beloved is Zach De La Rocha’s vocal delivery. Chuck D & B-Real have their own distinctive style & it just doesn’t fit well with music that often sounds a bit like Audioslave.

Boring shouldn’t be a word that comes to mind when listening to something created by most of the Rage Against the Machine guys but it’s the best word to describe this EP. The Party’s Over is somehow more bland sounding on multiple listenings. Any guitar wizardry is completely lost here as ‘the party’s over’ is repeated time & time again at a volume that is just irratating.

If this is a precursor to a full album they couldn’t have done less to create excitement for it. A live cover version of RATM’s most famous song, Killing in the Name just highlights how little ‘omph’ this group have. A live cover of Public Enemy’s Shut ‘Em Down & the Beastie Boys song, No Sleep ‘Till Brooklyn (called No Sleep ‘Til Cleveland here) ensure this 5 track EP will be forgotten very quickly.

Curiosity will see many fans of RATM check this out but most will come away disappointed. It just lacks content, has absolutely no bite & is just boring. If you weren’t a fan before, this isn’t going to change that.

Overall Track List:

1. Prophets of Rage
2. The Party’s Over
3. Killing in the Name (Live)
4. Shut Em Down (Live)
5. No Sleep Til Cleveland (Live)