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Is Rage Against The Machine Reuniting? Band Hints At Something Big With Countdown On Website

By Aaron Homer
Published on: 06:08 PST, May 18, 2016

Rage Against the Machine, probably the most openly and un-apologetically political bands of this generation, appears to be up to something, although what that something is is up for debate.

As The Independent reports, a new website sprang up Tuesday night: prophetsofrage.com. The words “Prophets of Rage” refer to the 1988 Public Enemy song of the same name.

Unfortunately, the website crashed, and remains down as of this writing.

Rage Against the Machine
What visitors see when they visit the new Rage Against the Machine website.

Visitors who were lucky enough to view the website before it crashed were asked to enter their email address. Once that was done, they were given the hashtag #TakeThePowerBack, as well as a countdown to June 1.

Around Los Angeles — Rage Against the Machine’s hometown — posters are popping up showing the hashtag and the symbol on the website.

So what does it all mean? Unfortunately for fans, no one outside of Rage Against the Machine or its management knows for certain.

The most obvious conclusion would be that the band is planning to reunite for a summer tour. At least, that’s what Cleveland Plain Dealer writer Tony L. Smith seems to think.

“Fans have been speculating the most likely scenario is a summer tour, which would be Rage’s first performance since 2011. Given the posters in Rage’s native Los Angeles, a tour could start there.”

In fact, although Rage went on something of a hiatus in 2011, the band members themselves have hardly kept quiet. Known for their political activism and politically-charged lyrics, various Rage members have made their political views known outside of their music.

In a 2012 Rolling Stone op-ed piece, Rage guitarist Tom Morello took exception to Republican politician Paul Ryan’s claim that Rage Against the Machine was his favorite band.

“I wonder what Ryan’s favorite Rage song is? Is it the one where we condemn the genocide of Native Americans? The one lambasting American imperialism? Our cover of ‘F**k the Police’? Or is it the one where we call on the people to seize the means of production? So many excellent choices to jam out to at Young Republican meetings! Don’t mistake me, I clearly see that Ryan has a whole lotta “rage” in him: A rage against women, a rage against immigrants, a rage against workers, a rage against gays, a rage against the poor, a rage against the environment. Basically the only thing he’s not raging against is the privileged elite he’s groveling in front of for campaign contributions.”

In fact, Toni L. Smith opines that, if Rage is not planning for a summer tour, they may be planning to disrupt or otherwise protest the upcoming Republican National Convention in Cleveland this summer. It wouldn’t be the first time Rage has protested a Republican convention — they did the same thing in 2008, holding an anti-RNC concert while the convention was going on, then organizing anti-Republican protests on the streets of Minneapolis.

Another possibility is that Rage’s plans in some way or another involve a protest against a possible Donald Trump presidency. The presumptive Republican nominee is likely to have scant little in common with Rage, and as early as 1999 the band was taking potshots at a possible Trump presidency in the video for their song, “Sleep Now In The Fire.”

What do you think Rage Against the Machine is planning?

[Photo by Max Whittaker/Getty Images]

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