Listen: Tom Morello’s Eddie Van Halen Tribute Song + Slash Guest Collab

This year was supposed to be the year of Rage Against the Machine (and other high profile reunion tours) until a global pandemic uprooted the touring industry worldwide. There is some solace to be had as guitarist Tom Morello has just dropped a new EP, Comandante, which features a tribute song to the late Eddie Van Halen as well as a collaborative track with Guns N' Roses legend Slash.

In what has turned out to be an incredibly busy fall regarding new music, Morello announced his latest release only yesterday (Oct. 29), which was a welcome surprise after last getting new solo material from the guitarist in 2018 when he released the guest-filled The Atlas Underground record.

The innovative Eddie Van Halen left an obvious impact on Morello. He was an innovator of both technique and tone and would display his dazzling skill set in extended guitar solos during Van Halen shows, where he would fiddle with his guitar's volume knob to create new sounds and exert his mastery over two-handed tapping.

On the Comandante track "Secretariat," Morello takes 68 seconds to recreate some familiar techniques discharged by the affectionately dubbed 'King Edward,' obviously with his own unique spin as well.

"Interstate 80" is markedly different, opening with dissonant guitar lick reminiscent of early 2000s Godflesh. The track quickly takes a detour from this abrasive passage and delves into lunging grooves with a rap-rock vocal cadence laid over the top.

Listen to both songs below and view the complete details to Tom Morello's Comandante EP further down the page.

1. "Voodoo Child"
2. "Interstate 80" (feat. Slash)
3. "Secretariat" (tribute to Eddie Van Halen)
4. "Suburban Guerrilla"
5. "Cato Stedman & Neptune Frost"