Prophets Of Rage and Zeal & Ardor at Brixton Academy, London - album review

All-star uprising puts party above politics

Art for Prophets Of Rage/ Zeal/ Ardor live at Brixton Academy, London

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Amashing of black metal and African-American slave spiritualism against a backdrop of clanking slave chains is probably not what the jovial revellers are primed for, but ZEAL & ARDOR [8] lay waste to them anyway, particularly during the hellish blast of Blood In The River. ‘What better place than here, what better time than now!’ booms Chuck D, finishing off the triumphant blitz of Guerilla Radio. With the UK still reeling from a tumultuous election and the scourge of terrorism still painfully real, the time and the place is poignant for PROPHETS OF RAGE [9]. Amazingly, there’s no anti-establishment rhetoric tonight, no political diatribes or even a whisper of Trump. In fact, the vibe is more party than politics, starting with a scratch set from DJ Lord and ending with hit after hit of Rage classics and a rap megamix excavating cuts including Harder Than You Think and Insane In The Brain. SOFTWAREmark” gingersoftwareuiphraseguid=“e7581a09-d725-4790-87c1-d799b69821a9” id=“88f023b9-f7ae-4f59-aa1d-b1cfa950e428”>Unfuck The World, the latest track from the Prophets, is introedwith a call for circlepits while the crowd go bonkers to Bullet In The Head. Chuck D’s booming out of ‘All of which are American dreams’ is spinetingling, as is Tom’s solo on Fight The Power. It’s a shame it all has to end, but Bulls On Parade and Killing In The Name land a final, still-relevant suckerpunch.

Holly Wright

With over 10 years’ experience writing for Metal Hammer and Prog, Holly has reviewed and interviewed a wealth of progressively-inclined noise mongers from around the world. A fearless voyager to the far sides of metal Holly loves nothing more than to check out London’s gig scene, from power to folk and a lot in between. When she’s not rocking out Holly enjoys being a mum to her daughter Violet and working as a high-flying marketer in the Big Smoke.