On Jan. 28, Killing in the Name, a Rage Against the Machine cover band, played in front of a packed house of Rage fans at The Blue Note.
After opening act Logos, a grungy/classic rock act, departed the stage, a second opening band named Decadent Nation came out. The group had obvious Rage influences, and after exiting the stage, the band returned with new clothes as the band Killing in the Name.
The band opened with a fan favorite in the classic “Bombtrack,” and from the start, it was obvious they had the stage presence and charisma of RATM.
“I don’t know how many people saw the original Rage Against the Machine, but I saw them in ’97 and these guys did really well,” RATM fan Chris Kuhlman says. “These guys did really well. It was worth what I paid ($1.01). I would have paid $6-10 dollars for it.”
The rhythm section then kicked into the band’s eponymous song, “Killing in the Name.” The song made the crowd erupt into frenzy, but a recurring difference between Killing and Rage became evident. Rage Against the Machine in its heyday was mixture of funk, metal and, of course, rage. The band had a mastery of altering volume to control the crowd. Killing in the Name sounded more akin to a heavy metal act that builds up enough energy that, once unleashed upon the crowd, the band can ride until the end to keep the crowd going.
Killing in the Name had a much more metal sound to its music, due in large part to the fact that Zack de la Rocha’s nasal, vicious rapping is difficult to imitate and Tom Morello’s “Arm the Homeless” guitar produces some of the most unique tones in music. Killing in the Name’s vocalist had a much lower voice than de la Rocha’s, and the anger of his predecessor was lost. The guitarist played everything correctly, but the lack of Morello’s often used killswitch left me searching for Morello’s signature pauses in his solos. The guitar also produced far heavier tones than Morello’s. The rhythm section was about as perfect as could be.
“I think they did really good,” Rage Against the Machine fan Alice Thompson says. “Not the same, but they did well.”
The band did indeed perform very well, keeping the crowd in a state of excitement with a mosh pit that never ceased. The singer constantly moved about stage and never messed up a single complicated rap, which was impressive considering the number of beers he had on stage. Again, though, the presence was different. With de la Rocha, you had a dreadlocked psychotic revolutionary on stage. With Killing’s singer, you had a showman who performed excellently at his job. With Morello, you had a guitar saying, “Arm the Homeless.” Killing’s instrumentalists looked like normal guys with exceptional musical proficiency and skill.
The band closed with Rage’s biggest hit, “Guerilla Radio,” and beer flew in the air in sync with the line “Light’s out!/Guerilla Radio!/Turn that shit up!” Sadly, the band did not return for an encore despite the crowd chanting for the band’s third biggest hit, “Testify,” and Rage’s second biggest hit, “Sleep Now in the Fire,” left unplayed.