“Killing In The Name” still shreds on toy instruments

By Clayton Purdom  |  April 12, 2017 | 4:35pm
Aux Features Music
“Killing In The Name” still shreds on toy instruments
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Rage Against The Machine’s “Killing In The Name” is one of the great mosh-pit songs of the ’90s, a staple even today for karaoke and cover bands thanks to its thunderous climax and its applicability to anyone who tells you to do something that you would prefer not to. (Step-dads, coaches, bosses, all of ’em.) One of the reasons Rage’s music has aged well is its musicianship—the thunderous but spry rhythm section synced up well with Tom Morello’s sledgehammer riffs and pyrotechnic creativity. All of which begs the question: How would that song sound played on shitty, tiny toy instruments?

Well, pretty terrible, obviously, but a good bit of the original track’s dynamic remains even when conveyed via Spiderman drums, toy bells, and something that sounds a hell of a lot like a kazoo but isn’t a kazoo. (It’s a Japanese synthesizer called an Otamatone.) This cover is probably not enough to inspire a bunch of baggy-clothed dudes with eyebrow rings to circle up and shove each other in a release of pent-up masculine fury, as is the song’s sacred heritage, but it just might be enough to make a toddler jump up and down or do whatever the hell passes for dancing at that age.

 
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