TOM MORELLO Says His Collaboration With His 13-Year-Old Son Was Inspiration For His Upcoming Rock Album

At last weekend's Download festival in the United Kingdom, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE guitarist Tom Morello spoke to Neil Jones of TotalRock about his upcoming solo single, "Soldier In The Army Of Love". Due on June 28, the song, which was co-written with his "guitar wizard son" Roman Morello, was described by Tom as "a generational rock anthem from the Morellos." "Soldier In The Army Of Love" is the first single from Tom's first-ever full-length solo rock album, due later in the year.

Asked why now was the right time to release a full-length solo rock album, Tom told TotalRock (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, one of the things that was very inspiring was I have a 13-year-old guitar prodigy son, Roman, who we wrote this song together. And his riffs are heavier than mine, and I've been relegated to the rhythm guitar player status in the family. So we did this song, 'Soldier In The Army Of Love', together, and it was just so rocking. It was sort of the genesis of this whole idea."

He continued: "I've done a lot of records — collaborative records, records laced with hip-hop, electronica, acoustic records, and this is really the first Tom Morello solo rock album, and this song, 'Soldier In The Army Of Love', really sort of encapsulates what it's about."

Tom went on to praise his son's musical talents, saying: "Well, it's nice to see the DNA has flowed in the right direction, and I think that rock's in a pretty good place, 'cause there's another Morello coming."

Asked if the upcoming solo album will be "all riffs", Tom said: "No. There's certainly a heavy dose of the Morellian RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE/AUDIOSLAVE riffs — maybe it's got two feet in that world and one foot in [Bruce Springsteen's 1978 album] 'Darkness On The Edge Of Town', too."

Last year, Tom Morello shared footage to Instagram of Roman playing RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE's "Killing In The Name" with Tom's RAGE bandmates Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk while the band was on tour in 2022.

"Upon our Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction I'd like to say thank you to all the RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE fans who over the course of 30+ years have been the heart and soul of the music," Morello wrote in the clip's accompanying caption.

"One of my favorite memories is my son Roman (who became a fan on tour) rocking Killing In The Name with Tim & Brad at a soundcheck in 2022."

In March 2023, Tom told Rolling Stone magazine that Roman could already outplay him when it came to lead guitar, despite the fact that he was only 11 at the time.

"I've been very inspired by my 11-year-old son," Tom told the magazine. "I've been relegated to being the rhythm guitar player in my family now because my 11-year-old can shred circles around me. I've been inspired by him. He's been writing some riffs, and I've been writing some riffs. It's been fun."

Roman Morello previously recorded a solo on fellow child prodigy Nandi Bushell's 2021 single "The Children Will Rise Up". The pair worked with the elder Morello to write the original anthem on which a swell of children's voices promised that they would not be silenced when it came to shouting from the rooftops about environmental injustice.

Tom was the sole member of RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE who attended the band's Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony last November at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE's Rock Hall induction came after the band appeared on six ballots.

In October 2022, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE canceled its North American tour, three months after singer Zack De La Rocha severed his left Achilles tendon, leaving a mere eight inches of the tendon intact.

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE's comeback tour, which was first announced in 2019 and then delayed several times due to the pandemic, marked the first time the reunited rap-metal quartet had hit the road together since 2011.