Rage Against The Machine

Rage Against The Machine

Following the hype of generated by the 1991 release of the Rage Against The Machine demo tape, critics were preparing for big things from the band. They were not dissapointed.

Rage Against The Machine is 52 minutes of pure aggresion. A winning combination of Zach De La Rocha's politcal lyrics, Tom Morello's mix of traditional rock elements and experimental sounds, Tim Commerford's simplistic but effective bass lines and Brad Wilk's complimentary drumming all add to this highly acclaimed album's appeal; the album often appears in lists of 'albums to hear before you die, including Rolling Stone.

Every track offers something different and each add to the album's. The album kicks off with Bombtrack with Morello and Commerford playing riffs in unison, a common theme on the album. Killing In The Name, the first single from the album, is perhaps RATM's best known songs, featuring on Guitar Hero 2 amongst other things. Take The Power Back follows up, with some fantastic guitar work. Settle For Nothing shows the bands softer side for the most part, intertwined with bursts of De La Rocha screaming his lyrics with emotion and feeling. Bullet In The Head begins with Morello showing his full repetoir of effects for the first half, before becoming a hard rocker at half way. Know Your Enemy, with Maynard James Keenan of 'Tool' fame on vocals and Stephen Perkins from 'Jane's Addiction's on percussion during the bridge section, is possibly the most pungent indicator of the bands political motives, with the line "All of which are American dreams" repeated 8 times on the outro, even after the band has stopped. Wake Up, which was used in 'The Matrix', showcases more of Tom Morello's unorthodox techniques, the intro effect created by de-tuning and tuning his G-string (not a euphamism). The song is a direct criticism of the American governments dealing of the Vietnam War. Fistful Of Steel again shows Morello's mastery of different techniques and DJ-sound emulation. Township Rebellion characterises RATM's message with the repeated line "Fight the war, F**k the norm". The album closes with Freedom, with multiple tempo changes and an ending lengthened by the sound of the band trashing their instruments.

All in all, Rage Against The Machine paved the way for the bands success, although not much of it commercial. The 2008 comeback tour showed what a strong fan base they had built for themselves. The fact that they have only released 4 albums to date, including 1 cover album, adds to the standing of this album. The follow-up, Evil Empire, took 4 years to materialise after the release of Rage Against The Machine and the quality of the first only added to the anticipation of the second. For those who haven't given it a listen, you've missed a treat.

Review by medrummer