One Day As A Lion Review
Although bound to happen amidst such fiercely political mindsets, the implosion of the once formidable Rage Against The Machine marked a sad day for those of us that used to bounce around the dancefloor of Subways (now the toilets under The Great Western, and what was Metro's only real competition for the indie/grunge dollar circa mid-nineties) to whichever track from their first album happened to get an airing.
Audioslave was the resultant project, with frontman Zack de la Rocha replaced by Soundgarden's Chris Cornell, but after a so-so first album and plain mediocre follow-up, the call of a reunion was the obvious choice, and in April this year RATM were once more. Rocha's libido has benefited from an obvious boost which is aurally evident on this self-titled EP, and is the first outing for his solo project along with ex-Mars Volta tubthumper Jon Theodore, One Day As A Lion.
Opening with the ridiculously infectious Wild International, a track that could crack heads with any of RATM's finest, what we have is five songs that sound way beyond their simple drums, vocal and distorted keyboard formula. Ocean View keps fists aloft, with reverb vocals and big beats, with Last Letter equally a call to arms. If You Fear Dying is downtempo, dirty hip hop and the closer and title track showcases just what Rocha can do with a keyboard - surely that's a bass guitar?
Undoubtedly a contender for next year's festival circuit, and indeed why not as support for RATM, let's hope that One Day As A Lion first hone their live act with some low-key gigs including a venue near here. 4/5
www.onedayasalion.org / www.myspace.com/onedayasalion
