Rage and Mars Volta men re-emerge with new group

Rage Against the Machine front man Zack de la Rocha and former Mars Volta drummer Jon Theodore have announced their intentions to release an EP under the name One Day As a Lion on 21st July via Anti-. The EP will precede a full length LP due this autumn.

The news follows rumours that Theodore had instead been helping de la Rocha track drums for a much delayed debut solo album, which has included the participation of El-P, Trent Reznor, DJ Shadow and ?uestlove of the Roots at various times over the last eight years.

Recorded by Robert Carranza (Bjork, Ozomatli, Jack Johnson) and mixed by Mario C. (Beastie Boys), the sound has been described as “Led Zep meets Dr. Dre.”

The track listing for the effort is as follows:

1. Wild International
2. Ocean View
3. Last Letter
4. If You Fear Dying
5. One Day As A Lion

Of the EP and the ethos behind the new group, the duo explains:

“One Day As A Lion is both a warning delivered and a promise kept.”

“A defiant affirmation of the possibilities that exist in the space between kick and snare. It’s a sonic reflection of the visceral tension between a picturesque fabricated cultural landscape, and the brutal socioeconomic realities it attempts to mask.”

“The name [is] taken from the infamous 1970 black and white, captured by legendary Chicano photographer George Rodriguez featuring a center framed tag on a white wall in an unspecified section of Boyle Heights. It reads: ‘It’s better to live one day as a lion, than a thousand years as a lamb.’ This record is a stripped down attempt to realize this sentiment in sound.”

In related news, de la Rocha's Rage band mate Tom Morello has announced details of a second album to be released under his Nightwatchman moniker. Produced by Brendan O'Brien and featuring a vocal contribution from Axis of Justice co-founder Serj Tankian, The Fabled City is due for release on 30th September.