Rage Against The Machine
The Battle Of Los Angeles

This latest gem given to us by the "quattro dell'oca selvaggia" did not fully meet the expectations of all long-time fans, as in the first CD they favored "metal" and in the second "rap" (with the due exceptions of "Bullet In The Head", "Snake Charmer"...), with this they chart a middle path that "pleases" everyone and no one.

You can even find reviews that identify it as an attempt to approach the mainstream, given the clear lack of "instinctiveness" that makes room for a more precise calculation of the sound.
In my opinion (based on interviews with Zack that I've read) this lack can be interpreted differently.

We must always keep in mind that Zack is one of the few truly politically committed, who has always declared that his primary aim was to let the world know what he had to say, and therefore after two great successes he knew he had an increased "fire potential" compared to the previous ones.
Therefore, in my opinion, this was the most commercially political accurate move in music history, let's say a "Trojan horse" for the Billboard (in a good sense).
Upon first listening, "Guerrilla Radio" did not immediately make me think of the great confirmation of RATM, and "Sleep Now In The Fire" really put me off. I changed my mind 70% after reading the lyrics, and 100% after watching the videos (especially S.N.I.T.F.).

In the 12 tracks released in '99, there are more "easy-going" pieces like the aforementioned and "Mic Check", where Tom puts that extra touch of melody "cleaning up" his distortions just enough, and Zack articulates more and slows down the execution. But the "true" rage is not missing with "War Within a Breath", "Born Of A Broken Man" and "Ashes in The Fall".

The "brand" remains what took them to the top, but in 7 years of success, it's also normal to have some maturity, in short, the desire to destroy remains, only with a bit more reasoning; let's say that if before they blatantly advocated the use of kerosene to extinguish the evils, now they explain better how they see the world, and the use of kerosene is implied.
The end result is that this time the enraged attack the machine with a smile on their faces, use the media more widely, and to those who call them sellouts, they respond by shutting down Wall Street 2 hours early.

With this last work, despite still believing that "Evil Empire" is their masterpiece, my admiration for Zack has increased (and I vote center-right, eh!), which has had a further surge with the piece he did with DJ Shadow, against the Iraq war, downloadable for free from his website.

I wondered for a while why Zack had given it all up, then I saw a drummer who throws away his legendary black tank top with a red star (and I repeat that I am impartial since I vote center-right), to show off his physique, a bassist who braids his hair à la Anne of Green Gables, and a guitarist who from "walking billboard of revolt encouragement" (see the writings on hats and t-shirts he appeared on stage with), turns into a "goof" with a suede beret, and my question had an extremely comprehensive answer.

Zack has always said that RATM is not a band, they are the RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, and the music is secondary.

Standin' in line, believen the lies, you bowin' down to tha flag... you got a bullet in yah head.