Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello has announced a new solo album, titled The Atlas Underground Fire. The project is the follow-up album to 2018's The Atlas Underground, and is due out on October 15 via Mom + Pop Music.
For the project, the two-time Grammy nominee and legendary axe-slinger Morello has cast the help from a star-studded list of collaborators, including Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder, Bring Me the Horizon and more.
Alongside the announcement, Morello has released its first single, a cover of AC/DC's Highway To Hell, featuring Springsteen and Vedder.
Of the track, the Rage guitarist says, "Our version of Highway To Hell pays homage to AC/DC but with Bruce Springsteen and Eddie Vedder, bringing this legendary song into the future. One of the greatest rock ’n’ roll songs of all time sung by two of the greatest rock ’n’ roll singers of all time. And then I drop a shredding guitar solo. Thank you and good night.”
Speaking of the recording process behind the album, Morello reveals to have recorded the guitar parts using an incredibly DIY technique due to the socially restrictive nature of the pandemic, while sharing his creations from his home in Los Angeles to collaborators around the globe. He explains: “During lockdown I had no access to an engineer so I had to record all of the guitar parts on the voice memo of my phone.
"This seemed like an outrageous idea but it lead to a freedom in creativity in that I could not overthink any of the guitar parts and just had to trust my instincts.
“This record was a life raft in a difficult time that allowed me to find new ways of creating new global artistic connections that helped transform a time of fear and anxiety into one of musical expression and rocking jams."
Pre-order The Atlas Underground Fire now, and listen to Highway To Hell below:
The Atlas Underground Fire tracklisting:
1. Harlem Hellfighter
2. Highway to Hell (featuring Bruce Springsteen and Eddie Vedder)
3. Let’s Get The Party Started (featuring Bring Me The Horizon)
4. Driving to Texas (featuring Phantogram)
5. The War Inside (featuring Chris Stapleton)
6. Hold The Line (featuring grandson)
7. Naraka (featuring Mike Posner)
8. The Achilles List (featuring Damian Marley)
9. Night Witch (featuring phem)
10. Charmed I’m Sure (featuring Protohype)
11. Save Our Souls (featuring Dennis Lyxzén of Refused)
12. On The Shore Of Eternity (featuring Sama’ Abdulhadi)
