Rage Against the Machine offers a politically charged eponymous album to rock the country

Rage Against the Machine offers a politically charged eponymous album to rock the country


Guilty Parties:

Zack de la Rocha = Vocals
Tim Commerford = Bass
Brad Wilk = Drums
Tom Morello = Guitar

With a concoction of local Los Angeles rockers, the newly formed Rage Against the Machine, would take their politically charged tracks and vehemently spit it out on the rock audience of 1992.Rage Against the Machine’s self-titled debut was a release of political and cause driven style melding hip/hop, punk, and metal into an empowering album. By many Rage fans this album is considered the best, and represents the torment and tyrannical power that the band rebels against. With a unique sound that is recognizable to a fan from far away the band pulls influence from:

“Bad Brains to Malcolm X, from Led Zeppelin to Che Guevara, from Minor Threat to Martin Luther King Jr., from Public Enemy to the Clash.”

One major addition to this album was that it was a shelter to the most frenzied and intelligent vocalists of al of rock. With a talent of screaming revolutionary lyrics and rhyming angst filled vocals, Zack de la Rocha is an ingenious front man that propelled to unparalleled success of any other band in the genre. Another aspect to the unique sound is Tom Morello, one of the most innovative and talented guitarists ever. He uses the guitar not only to generate original and angered metal riffs, but can manufacture excellent DJ sounds during his solos using whammies and palm scrapes. With no samples of turntable production on this album the instruments must create all extraneous sounds on the album, which is a cool idea for an original album. Seeing Tom Morello is on of the most fascinating guitarists, and was shown to be at the acceptance of a prestigious guitar award in 2003. Brad Wilk’s violent drumming adds an intensity that drives the earth-shattering riffs of Zack, Tom and Tim. Bashing on a cymbal and hammering a snare are specialties of Brad that raise the musicianship of Rage Against the Machine to new levels. Tim Commerford is one of the most unpredictable, yet interesting of all the Rage Against the Machine crew. Including his quick-paced and funky bass riffs to the album he and Tom create and chugging sound that snaps at every beat just like the rambunctious lyrics of Zack. All in all, every song on the album is charged with Rage Against the Machine spirit, tearing vocals, and techno-metal guitar work, and is well worth the listen.

Track Listing:

1. Bombtrack
2. Killing in the Name
3. Take the Power Back
4. Settle for Nothing
5. Bullet in the Head
6. Know Your Enemy
7. Wake Up
8. Fistful of Steel
9. Township Rebellion
10. Freedom

Sound of the Album

1. Bombtrack

Starting off with an awesome funky riff Bombtrack kicks off in a blaze of glory with quick paced guitar work and than a massive crash onto Morello’s riff with a deep pounding bass line from Timmy C. With a thick beat going with guitar, bass, and drum, Zack jumps in with the passionate rhymes of politics and antics around the world. After a change of pace from the introduction of the song a nice groovy beat is the stable surface that lets Zack throw down rhymes of government and country. Hearing Zack de la Rocha rap this anthem:

“But I’m gonna drop it at a higher level / 'Cause I'm inclined to stoop down / Hand out some beat downs cold runna train on punk ho's that / Think they run the game. / But I learned to burn that bridge and delete / Those who compete at a level that's obsolete / Instead I warm my hands on the flames of the flag.”

makes a special treat for those the rebel against the outright wrongdoings of others. The best part of this hit though is in the chorus where the rage filled instruments overlay Zack’s powerful lyrics with brash chords and thick riffs solidifying Zack’s “Burn, burn, yes you’re gonna burn!” with angst and strength.


2. Killing in the Name

With a bunch of strong and heavy strums Killing in the Name starts of with dominant chords that lead into an interesting percussion and bass solo that is extremely short, but adds a cool effect that gives the song an eerie feeling. The next part is a Morello masterpiece, full of authentic and master “Drop-D” guitar work that has a cool feeling. This was actually on of the earlier songs that I played on guitar, along with the Bombtrack riff. Using bends and distorted open strings, Morello echoes the heavy beat of Brad and Timmy over to Zack to rap to the driving beat. A nice distorted riff allows Zack to add the power to the song. In the chorus Zack grunts/screams “Killing in the Name of” while Morello, Wilk, and Commerford chug away at riffs. There is passion through the whole song between “Now you do what they told ya”, anger filled chants of “F*ck you I won’t do what you tell me”, and the emotionally charged scream of “Motherf*cker”. With two very short, but sweet solos the song ends with the original riff using the thick and distorted “Drop-D” riff to add the deep emotional line at the end.


3. Take the Power Back

Since this album has no sampling whatsoever, Morello makes most of the unique and intuitive noises on this track. If you have ever heard Evil Empire by Rage Against the Machine, the song Revolver also has guitar manufactured noise in the intro of the song, which gives it a nice distinction. With the extraneous pluck over the timed drum beat of bass note, it goes straight into a nice bass riff. Then with Zack’s “balls to the wall” style the song kicks off into a full on with a good funky bass groove, blasting away under Morello’s quick chord strums. Over this driven track Zack raps how the power must be taken back:

“Bam, here's the plan / Mother f*ck Uncle Sam / Step back I know who I am / Raise up your ear, I'll drop the style and clear / It's the beats and the lyrics they fear / The rage is relentless / We need a movement with a quickness / You are the witness of change and to counteract / We gotta take the power back!

With Brad Wilk bashing away on the drums under Zack’s raps, Morello takes his chance for an amazing solo oozing with talent, that could only come from a guitarist of his stature. Continuing the rap against the overpowering American education system. The outro is a Rage filled ending accompanied by tearing guitar chords and thunderous drum beats.


4. Settle for Nothing

Settle for Nothing opens with the slight cymbal taps of Brad Wilk, while Timmy C. keeps a nice constant riff going along softly. The soft whining of Tom Morello’s guitar adds a nice touch of emotion to the track. The soft sensation of Zack’s lyrics lets one take a breather, but not for long. During the chorus, he has a heightened sense of anger whilst screaming “Read my writing on the wall / No one's here to catch me when I fall / But death is on my side / Suicide!”, over the heavy bass and guitar-laden riff. While this song does not have that many great riffs or lyrics, I like the chorus where Zack goes absolutely insane bursting into a primal scream. Then a sweet and bright solo from Morello brightens up the mood with easy-going scales and a clean tone. When back to Zack de la Rocha melodically speaking the lyrics. Then into the unique choral scream of the previous choruses. All in all this is an average song and definitely one of the only falling parts in the album.


5. Bullet in the Head

Starting off with a unique bass riff from Tim contains a nice double note pick with adds a depth to the short and solitary bass line. While the shrilling guitar adds in with Zack, Brad Wilk lays down a simple percussion beat that stabilizes Bullet in the Head with a nice and interesting beat. Zack de la Rocha enthralls me with his lyrics in this song rapping:

“No escape from the mass mind rape / Play it again jack and then rewind the tape / And then play it again and again and again / Until ya mind is locked in / Believin' all the lies that they're tellin' ya / Buyin' all the products that they're sellin' ya / They say jump and ya say how high / Ya brain-dead / Ya gotta f*ckin' bullet in ya head”

Whilst this is happening I barely head they amazing palm-scrape effects that Morello manufactures during the verses. Unfortunately, one of the best guitarists only shows off his effects off in this song with a solo, but that is it. The unique solo is composed of a nice Tremelo effect that adds a chop to the solo. The unorthodox style of Tom Morello may not appeal to all guitarists, but to me it is intuitive and full of talent.


6. Know Your Enemy

Know Your Enemy is one of the more known hits of the album begins with Morello playing a slightly distorted solo divided by Tremelo effect breaks. So Brad adds in with cymbal rides and then with all the instruments going in to a deep pounding bass noise being driven along by the drums. When the kick into the new beat it gets a quicker pace and a heavier presence, which is kept rolling by Morello’s thick distorted chords chugging along like a train.

“Word is born / Fight the war, f*ck the norm / Now I got no patience / So sick of complacence / With the D the E the F the I the A the N the C the E /The mind of a revolutionary / So clear the lane / The finger to the land of the chains / What? The land of the free? / Whoever told you that is your enemy”

After hearing Zack rap his ire-filled lyrics Morello jumps into a solo slightly after Maynard James Keenan (Tool) makes a guest appearance in the bridge of the song. The solo consists of quick scales and key changes, that is finished of nicely by a Tremelo effect to the notes at the end. After the solo Zack and the boys jump into the song ranting about the wrong doings of America:

“Compromise / conformity / assimilation / submission / ignorance / hypocrisy / brutality / the elite / All of which are American dreams”


7. Wake Up

Wake Up starts with a buzz noise from the guitar and then crescendos into a heavy and dark riff with bass and violent drumming as well. The bass line has a catchy groove that makes you tap your foot and shake your shoulders a little bit. With simple wah-wah guitar muted chords in the background, Brad keeps a steady beat to the riff giving Zack and Timmy the spotlight. Hearing Zack’s expressive rhymes violently rapping of the misfortunes of his influences Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., and Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali). A like the rhymes in this song they have a deep meaning and let you “Wake Up” to see the world with new eyes. Tom has a nice solo in this song using his trademark Tremelo with a wah-wah this time. After the solo the riff changes into a heavier and more driving beat that leaves De la Rocha screaming “What was the price on his head?” referring Malcolm X. Then in a rage of emotion Zack shouts “WAKE UP” 8 times, then gives Morello the spotlight to shred a nice solo over Timmy C.’s solid bass playing. The one line of this song that always rings in my head is what Zack rants at the end of the song. He spits out a thought that is a brilliant phrase saying “How long, not long / Cause what you reap / Is what you sow!”


8. Fistful of Steel

Starting with an odd riff the song jumps in with a high-pitched shrill, Tom, Brad, and Tim jump in with a nice heavy palm-muted riff that opens its distorted wings when accompanied with a thick bass line and Brad Wilk’s awesome drumming. When the verse comes the whole riff changes into a deep riff from Tim that is overlapped by Tom’s whining axe. A solid riff is accompanied by Zack’s mediocre lyrics drags the track down a little bit, but he still hasn’t run out of steam yet. During the chorus the original heavy riff comes in as Zack raps “Mad boy grabs the microphone like a fistful of steel”.

Morello’s solo starts off very dreary and dark with a minor tone. Slowly he plays a scale in a higher pitch which primes the beat for the next riff. The chorus comes in with a blaze of glory and then dies out for the next verse. The song ends with Morello soloing over the riff, which gives the riff a cool sound and a good way to end the song.


9. Township Rebellion

On of the great parts of Township Rebellion is the strange percussion that litters the song. It adds some depth to Brad’s nice drumming throughout the song. Once again, there are no samples on this album so all the extraneous noise and cool effects are created by Rage Against the Machine themselves. Timmy C. plays one of the deepest thumping bass lines in this song. This mixes well with Tom Morello’s distorted power chord style in the chorus. Then in the verse the funky beat starts again, letting Zack rap viciously over the top producing one of the cooler parts of this song. In the chorus De la Rocha repeats:

“Why stand on a silent platform? / Fight the war, f*ck the norm!”

four times cementing the fact that you need to rebel for your rights. This passion and anger in the chorus is swept away with the amazing solo from Tom Morello using a bunch of scales to create an awesome solo and a nice break between the heavy and enthralling chorus. The riff changes and Zack lets out a primal scream that is echoed by Timmy’s deep bass line that lets Zack slowly fade back in to finish his rant. Then with a vengeance the next chorus is absolutely maniacal between the enraged scream before it to Morello’s overlapped guitar riff, that solidifies Township Rebellion as a thoroughly impressive song.


10. Freedom

The closer to this album is a great song that incorporates a nice heavy riff with meaningful and rebellious lyrics. Hearing Zack rap over the simple drumming and swift guitar strums saying:

“It's set up like a deck of cards / They're sending us to early graves / For all the diamonds / They'll use a pair of clubs to beat the spades / With poetry I paint the pictures that hit / More like the murals that fit / Don't turn away / Get in front of it.”

This message is thorough and may be seem as exaggerated by some, but is the way the band expresses the oppression. The riffs being playing during the song are full of bass, and have a nice eerie guitar noise or cowbell. In the chorus Rage Against the Machine utilizes a heavy riff instead of a chorus full of metaphoric lyrics. Then Tom goes into a slower solo, with nice slow high-pitched wails instead of a speedy massacre on a scale. The underlying bass and drum line keep the song stable from Zack’s explosive riffs. Again Zack manufactures a drilling beastly scream that flares the music into an uproar. With Tom and Tim playing two scales simultaneously in sync the song gets a nice stereo sound. Over top Brad bashes the hell out of the drums, and is accompanied by the blaring yells of De la Rocha. The outro is completely feedback and leads an awesome album out.



THE VERDICT: Being my second favorite album in my whole collection I would recommend this album to people that like hip-hop, rock, metal, thrash, or politics. Chock full of amazing guitar and bass riffs this album was one of my sole teachers in my early days of guitar. For those that do not like the anger and expletives displayed in the music, this album may not be for you. To anyone that has not heard a song by Rage Against the Machine take a listen to this album somewhere, you may like it or you may love it, just make sure to try it.

KV