The Battle of Los Angeles Review
| Band | |
|---|---|
| Album |  The Battle of Los Angeles |
| Type | Album (Studio full-length) |
| Released | November 2, 1999 |
| Genres | Rap Metal, Alternative Metal |
| Labels | Epic Records |
| Length | 45:12 |
| Ranked | #139 for 1999 , #6,183 all-time |
Album rating : 80 / 100
Votes : 11 (1 review)
Votes : 11 (1 review)
July 29, 2024
Just like their previous material, this album loses me in how repetitive and simple it is. Testify opens the album with a perfect example of what you can expect here. A groovy, funky riff kicks off the song well, the ever-impressive bass offering a great backbone. After repeating for a bit, the music all dies down to allow Zack to spit some venom. Then the riff comes back, then it disappears again… The whole time, the drums are essentially playing the same simple beat. By the end of the song, what seemed like a strong riff turns into “wow, that was the only riff on the song and I’m just about tired of it now.”
And then the next track does just about the same thing. Of course, the second track also offers a terrible… kazoo section? There are some surprises on the album, but usually they aren’t… great. The album does have a decent amount of variety between tracks, it’s more so that every track relies on one or two ideas and just repeats them over and over. Sleep Now in the Fire is definitely one of their best songs though.
What IS consistently great, is the basswork. Eternally funky, doing juicier leads than the guitars, the bass has so much power here. Any fans of great lead basswork can appreciate this. Unfortunately it doesn’t save the album from being rather boring, thanks to the other members playing quite simple, repetitive, and unevocative music. Vocal deliverance is strong, but lyrics range from great to poor, and just like the folly of the instrumentation, suffer from being far too repetitive.
And then the next track does just about the same thing. Of course, the second track also offers a terrible… kazoo section? There are some surprises on the album, but usually they aren’t… great. The album does have a decent amount of variety between tracks, it’s more so that every track relies on one or two ideas and just repeats them over and over. Sleep Now in the Fire is definitely one of their best songs though.
What IS consistently great, is the basswork. Eternally funky, doing juicier leads than the guitars, the bass has so much power here. Any fans of great lead basswork can appreciate this. Unfortunately it doesn’t save the album from being rather boring, thanks to the other members playing quite simple, repetitive, and unevocative music. Vocal deliverance is strong, but lyrics range from great to poor, and just like the folly of the instrumentation, suffer from being far too repetitive.
Track listing (Songs)
| title | rating | votes | video | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Testify | 3:30 | 87.9 | 7 | Music Video Audio |
| 2. | Guerrilla Radio | 3:26 | 90 | 7 | Music Video Audio |
| 3. | Calm Like a Bomb | 4:58 | 83.3 | 6 | Audio |
| 4. | Mic Check | 3:33 | 83.3 | 6 | Audio |
| 5. | Sleep Now in the Fire | 3:25 | 90 | 9 | Music Video Audio |
| 6. | Born of a Broken Man | 4:41 | 80 | 6 | |
| 7. | Born as Ghosts | 3:21 | 78.3 | 6 | |
| 8. | Maria | 3:48 | 80.8 | 6 | Audio |
| 9. | Voice of the Voiceless | 2:31 | 78.3 | 6 | |
| 10. | New Millennium Homes | 3:44 | 80 | 6 | Audio |
| 11. | Ashes in the Fall | 4:36 | 77.5 | 6 | |
| 12. | War Within a Breath | 3:36 | 80.8 | 6 | Audio |
| Australian and Japanese bonus track : | |||||
| 13. | No Shelter | 4:06 | 77.5 | 2 | |
Line-up (members)
- Zack de la Rocha : Vocals
- Tom Morello : Guitars
- Tim Commerford : Bass
- Brad Wilk : Drums
10,430 reviews
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 | | The Gathering Review (1999) | 80 | Jul 29, 2024 | 0 | ||
 | | Jerusalem Review (1999) | 40 | Jul 29, 2024 | 0 | ||
 | | ▶ The Battle of Los Angeles Review (1999) | 45 | Jul 29, 2024 | 0 | ||
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 | | Magma Review (2016) | 85 | Jul 28, 2024 | 1 | ||
 | | The Link Review (2003) | 70 | Jul 28, 2024 | 0 | ||
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 | | Times of Grace Review (1999) | 75 | Jul 28, 2024 | 0 | ||
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SilentScream213 45/100Sep 28, 2021 Likes : 1
Another one of those “did it first” albums that in my opinion doesn’t live up to the hype its legacy implies. Aside from Anthrax’s “I’m the Man” and a couple Faith No More songs (if we’re being generous), there really wasn’t much Rap Metal prior to RATM, and certainly not a full album of it. The band certainly took a unique approach and recreated Hip-Hop using... Read More
