*** The BellRays, “Grand Fury,” Upper Cut/Vital Gesture.

Rage Against the Machine ain’t got nothin’ on this Southern California quartet, whose self-described “maximum rock ‘n’ soul” has earned it many a favorable comparison to proto-punk Detroit rabble-rousers the MC5. Picking up where its explosive 1998 debut, “Let It Blast,” left off, the players again mix the chaotic stance of their Motor City predecessors with a range of R&B; flavors, from Thee Midniters to Sly & the Family Stone.

The album takes awhile to get into gear, and the raw sound quality sometimes works against them, though it does capture the falling-apart-while-getting-somewhere feeling of a BellRays live show. A soul shouter as undeniable as the Day of Reckoning, singer Lisa Kekaula flamethrows outrage in tunes sparked by rotten experiences and consciousness-razing. As the band caroms from free-jazz rambling to pop-punk thrash, she wails, howls and fumes over social injustice, stupid people and racist goofballs. Then, unexpectedly, she croons the soulful love song “Have a Little Faith in Me,” flashing a sensitive side that rings as true as the unbridled anger.

Although this momentary shift reveals tantalizing possibilities, it’s hard to divine the BellRays’ future from this recording, since guitarist-songwriter Tony Fate recently left the fold, following the earlier departure of drummer Ray Chin. Whatever happens next, Kekaula and her husband, bassist Bob Vennum, will surely keep the faith.

*

Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent). The albums are already released unless otherwise noted.