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Rage Against The Machine - Rage Against The Machine review



Reviewer:
8.9

641 users:
8.65
Band: Rage Against The Machine
Album: Rage Against The Machine
Release date: November 1992


Disc I
01. Bombtrack
02. Killing In The Name
03. Take The Power Back
04. Settle For Nothing
05. Bullet In The Head
06. Know Your Enemy [feat. Maynard James Keenan]
07. Wake Up
08. Fistful Of Steel
09. Township Rebellion
10. Freedom

Disc II [bonus]
01. Darkness
02. Year Of Tha Boomerang
03. Freedom [remix]
04. Take The Power Back [live]

Explosive. In my humble opinion, that is the best adjective for the self-titled debut of the American angry madmen Rage Against The Machine. Ten times the shockwave of a bomb, right in your face. A catchy, yet vicious message of hate to the authorities, to 'the man'. Ten times a call for battle, to stand for your (their) ideals and to call war upon the enemy, capitalism and the right-wing.

Yet it seems most Metalfans dismiss this album upon first sight. A typical example of narrow-mindedness, as this is not just another angsty teenage record like any Bullit For My Valentine or Linkin Park record. Eventhough it sometimes sounds like one. ("No-one's here to catch me when I fall. Death is on my side... suicide!") In reality, this album is so much more. It has a thrashing intensity that teaches most Thrash Metal bands a lesson or two, and the violence and hate that drips through should be an example for most Black Metal bands. And if people don't see that - fine.

Without wanting to discuss the strange deviations of Metal's modern public, let's discuss the album. As I said, it is nothing short of explosive. Their fusion of hip-hop, metal, punk and funk is matched by nobody to this very day. Morello's guitar is on fire and he makes it schorch, groove, scream and squeel like a dying pig. This man can certainly pull some sounds out of his instrument! Of course another attractive factor are the pissed-off and bitter vocals of De La Rocha. He screams, raps and spits his guts out with heart and soul. A venomous tongue, by all means: do not upset this man!

"Killing In The Name" is their most popular track, but there are other little nuggets. The first song, "Bombtrack" is a downright killer. The hateful mantra near the end of "Bullit In The Head" is a prime example of using your lungs to the fullest extend. And "Fistful Of Steel" has one of the catchiest choruses ever. These are a couple of personal highlights, but the other tracks are by no means bad.

If people would cast their prejudice aside for a moment, and would listen to some Rage Against The Machine in that very same moment, they would be in for a shock. I can almost hear their jaws dropping on the concrete ground. "This is intense!" Ah, I should stop hoping for the impossible..


Rating breakdown
Performance: 9
Songwriting: 9
Originality: 8
Production: 8





Written on 03.03.2008 by If you're interested in extreme, often emotional and underground music, check out my reviews. I retired from reviewing, but I really used to be into that stuff.


Comments

Comments: 29   Visited by: 265 users
03.03.2008 - 21:36
Rating: 10
Katatronik
Angel of Lust
Their best work IMO, one of my favourite crossover albums ever...
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"The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear,
and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown."
Howard Phillips Lovecraft
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03.03.2008 - 22:28
Rating: 7
Clintagräm
Shrinebuilder
Good review for a great album. I've personally never heard anyone, especially a Metal fan, dismiss this album, so obviously we've had different experiences. And indeed, while De La Rocha and the gang have interesting ideas and motives, it can be quite annoying at times, but if it fueled their music, then that's fine with me.
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The force will be with you, always.
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03.03.2008 - 23:48
kackbratze

Interesting, I wouldn't have expected this review from you. It's a shame, if there are really that many people dismissing this album... I have known it even before I started listening to "real" metal and I still think it's intense as hell. The guitars and drums work together very well and create a lot of rhythmic power.

I also think this is RatM's best work, but the other albums weren't bad in any way. I'm interested in what their new album will sound like, when they finally announce it... *g*
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04.03.2008 - 04:54
Rating: 7
Doc G.
Full Grown Hoser
Interesting review. I like the music. But I cant listen to this band for too long, the lyrical content is such hypocritical bullshit. But like I said, if I ignore the lyrics it is great, me and my brothers used to listen to these guys non stop when I was younger.
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"I got a lot of really good ideas, problem is, most of them suck."
- George Carlin
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04.03.2008 - 06:54
Rating: 7
Dangerboner
Lactation Cnslt
Rage Against the Machine is a band everyone can like, and often at my parties I'll take out some gay rap album and put this one in and everyone stays happy. Good review man! tbh
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04.03.2008 - 16:16
Rating: 7
iaberis
Advice Troll
I bought it some years ago cause my friends were saying it's awesome and because some clubs I was going to used to play its songs.
But I never really liked it. It has 3-4 great songs but it's not really that masterpiece I've been told about.
I don't regret buying it but I have to shout it's very overrated.
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Bitch! Please
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05.03.2008 - 01:13
Rating: 9
SlaytallicA
Lycanthropy
In ourdays maybe this isn't a great album 'cause many bands have similar sound but at the time it was released... It was and for me it is a masterpiece!
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One Pound Of Flesh, No More No Less, No Cartilage, No Bones, But Only Flesh...
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05.03.2008 - 16:25
Rating: 8
AnarChrist

Written by Doc G. on 04.03.2008 at 04:54

Interesting review. I like the music. But I cant listen to this band for too long, the lyrical content is such hypocritical bullshit. But like I said, if I ignore the lyrics it is great


exact, it could be a real masterpiece, but the lyrics some times tend to annoy the hell out of me
those who say it is only about the music, well, this proves sometimes it most certainly isn't, at least in my case
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oh my fucking god, fucking dinosaurs
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05.03.2008 - 16:59
Opium
Account deleted
I can understand how people diss this and regard it as similar to some of the other alternative artsits out there who have no talent, unlike these guys. This perconception annoys the hell out of me. To say they're similar to anything else in the alternative scene is utterly ignorant and they need to rethink the way they see the matter. A decent review for an album that is definitely worth buying, congrats on exposing RATM further, Lucas
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15.03.2008 - 01:01
Severed Survival
Account deleted
one of the best albums ever to be unleashed upon us.
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15.03.2008 - 01:30
Marcel Hubregtse
Grumpy Old Fuck
Damn, this album brings back memories.

when it was released the song Killing In The Name was a huge hit at student parties all across the Netherlands. Hell, the times I have moshed to that song at those drunken debaucheries is innumerous.
Back when I was still fit, non-balding, good-looking, and slim (okay that last one is a lie)

But although I have Killing In The Name way too many this is still an awesome album and Rage's (to piss Wrathchild off ) best.
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Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal

Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight
Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.)
05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996

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10.04.2008 - 11:56
destroyah
supercharger
A Great album with a capital "G".

@Marcel - I still jump around like an imbecil everytime I hear RATM
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About me:

"The best out of all the people ever" - Washington Post

"We abandoned Christ for Destroyah's love!" - The Watchtower

"Simply amazing!" - Rolling Stone
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10.04.2008 - 13:48
Deadsoulman

Written by destroyah on 10.04.2008 at 11:56

I still jump around like an imbecil everytime I hear RATM


So do I, my friend, so do I Ah, the countless times back in high school I did drunken-headbanging in nightclubs when they played Killing In The Name... I just love this album. The rest of their discography, although good (especially The Battle Of LA) doesn't match the quality of this one.
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10.04.2008 - 14:04
destroyah
supercharger
Written by Deadsoulman on 10.04.2008 at 13:48

Written by destroyah on 10.04.2008 at 11:56

I still jump around like an imbecil everytime I hear RATM


I just love this album.


Yea, it's the ultimate manifestation of "fuck the system". Makes you wanna set your house on fire and go "ffreeEDOM!!!"
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About me:

"The best out of all the people ever" - Washington Post

"We abandoned Christ for Destroyah's love!" - The Watchtower

"Simply amazing!" - Rolling Stone
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10.04.2008 - 14:30
Rating: 9
Lucas
Mr. Noise
freeeedooom!!! yeaaaaaah!!! classic.
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SLUDGE. DOOM. DEATH. Wait, what?

"The reason I'm running for president is because I can't be Bruce Springsteen." - Barack Obama
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10.04.2008 - 18:41
addiction

excellent album!!! i love it!!! and i believe ratm is the band that brought into the world of heavier music...i will eternally love them...
this album is filled with hits!!! and i think everyone would scream with zack: "fuck you i wont do what you tell me", "wake up" and "freedom"!!!!
oh and good review btw...:)
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alive in the superunknown
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12.09.2008 - 17:07
Stigma
Account deleted
I should spin this CD around again.. I really love it, makes me jump and gives me motivation to play bass.
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24.10.2008 - 22:46
Rating: 8
X-Ray Rod
Skandino
Damn man... I'm in love with this album. There's so much energy on it. And I mean pure fucking energy. This is indeed mor eintense that many BM I've heard. The vocals of De La Rocha are just insane. and the guitarr is 3 levels above perfection.

I will buy this album when I get the chance.

FREEEEEEDOOOOOM!!!!
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Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29
Like you could kiss my ass
Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
Rod, let me love you.
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21.11.2008 - 23:49
|55555|
Account deleted
You can't say crap without rap. 3/10.
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22.11.2008 - 00:30
-DC-002-
Mastercommander
Can't go wrong with RAtM. This could be considered their strongest album.
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Coldgrits
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22.11.2008 - 15:50
Elio
Red Nightmare
What an album...simply great, the 90% of the rap I can stand was made by these guys.
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IntoPlighT said: "Slipknot is 15 years old how the fuck is that Nu metal?"

BEST. QUOTE. EVER.
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03.04.2009 - 07:40
amerislave
Account deleted
Regardless of what you think of the band and tom morello's stlye....there is no denying that he is an innovator. jimi hendrix, eddie van halen and tom morello.

morello's style is all his own and it incited "rage".....nobody else could copy him as others have with hendrix and van halen. i don't think it is even a question that morello is the most unique guitarist to gain mainstream acceptance and have platinum sales. no comparison.

mille from kreator is no fool and his praise for this band is much greater than mine. any band would trade their souls to get the fan reaction that rage against the machine gets. i am not saying that they would trade music. there live shows are not paralleled.
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04.11.2009 - 01:48
Rating: 9
silenius

Amazing album from an amazing band, one of my all time favorites, without a doubt!
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14.05.2010 - 06:22
Uirapuru
Liver Failure
Lots and lots of great songs. Too bad they gather all their best efforts in a single album...
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member of the true crusade against old school heavy metal, early 80s thrash, NWOBHM, traditional doom, first and second wave black metal, old school death metal, US power metal, 70s prog rock and atmospheric doomsludgestoner. o/
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26.08.2010 - 17:28
Andreas

I know three songs of this album, Bombtrack, KITN (of course) and Wake Up. I sort of lost track of these guys, but yesterday I heard this song on a student party at my new university (sort of goodbye song along with Bro Hymn by Pennywise), and I finally got loose. I'll check out more songs of this album.
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13.09.2010 - 00:40
Rating: 9
Winterthrone

This album is a pure masterpiece of the 1990's... When I was angry at my parents back in the day I would blast it to release my anger and they would become even more angered hearing that pure left-wing anarchist music. Today when I listen to it is still as good as it was, and when I hear KITN I still have those shisvers down my spine and the urge to destry this stupid society we live-in!
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17.08.2015 - 21:53
Rating: 3
Copernicus

Boring. And I don't like people who like this.
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17.08.2015 - 22:15
Marcel Hubregtse
Grumpy Old Fuck
Written by Copernicus on 17.08.2015 at 21:53

Boring. And I don't like people who like this.



Your loss on all counts.
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Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal

Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight
Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.)
05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996

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14.11.2020 - 17:20
Rating: 9
BlankFile

It´s an "In your face" excellent record with a powerful and political message, in terms of lyrics. It´s one of the most alternative memorable records of the 90´s.
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