Single, which features his teenage son on guitar, sets up the Rage Against the Machine guitarist’s first solo rock album
It’s a family affair. Tom Morello and his teenage son, Roman, cowrote the elder Morello’s rock-rap-soul-Broadway fusion single, “Solider in the Army of Love.” In just three minutes, Morello connects references to New Testament apostles and the Clash to Black History Month and a coming earthquake — all over a funky, heavy riff. The chorus, which sounds like musical theater, is the proclamation, “I’m a soldier in the army of love.”
A lyric video full of revolutionary imagery kind of explains his intention, but he does a better job in his own words. “‘Soldier in the Army of Love’ is the debut single from my first ever full-length solo rock album,” Morello said in a statement. “It’s a salute to the transformative power of music as both a balm to heal the soul and a battering ram to fight for justice. The song also has a generational rock & roll bloodline. The heaviest riffs were written by my 13-year-old guitar wizard son, Roman, who also plays the shredding solo, giving me hope that’s there’s a new generation of soldiers in the army of love coming to the rescue.”
Morello, who’s on a European tour through next month, has yet to release full details for his upcoming rock album, but the song was produced by Zakk Cervini and Carl Restivo.
Last fall, Morello was the only member of Rage Against the Machine to show up to the band’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. “I am deeply grateful for the musical chemistry I’ve had the good fortune to share with Brad Wilk, Tim Commerford, and Zack de la Rocha,” he said in his acceptance speech. “Like most bands, we have differing perspectives on a lot of things, including about being inducted into the Rock Hall. The reason we are here and the best way to celebrate this music is for you to carry on that mission and that message. The lesson I’ve learned from Rage fans is that music can change the world daily.”
