Rage Against The Machine

Classic

It's a no doubt masterpiece

absolute banger debut album

I was surprised at how high the rating was for this, since I thought that Rage Against the Machine was sort of a joke band, but this was so good. Great playing by Tim Commerford

Kind of surprising that a group with such anti-establishment, anti-police brutality, anti-systemic racism messages was signed with Sony. Still powerful and just as impactful, if not more so, than when it was released. A rallying cry to take the power back. Musically and lyrically insightful.

Enjoyable album, and great message. Sad that the message still rings so true 30 years later. Consistent theme, great lyricism, and infectious musicality

Full of rage. Cool to drive with it.

The rage is relentless

Very angry. Hi energy. Like it. 4/5

Fun Rock album with heavy repeat value when in the mood to rage

Very very upset with the world. fair. I like the vibe

Fantastic.

Ragelicious

A great, great listen. Growing up with this kind of soundtrack has really shaped my musical tastes. I don’t often go back to it though so I was glad to have the nudge to. I probably never listened to this from beginning to end as I didn’t own the cd so chances are, this is the first proper listen. It does not disappoint.

Solid throughout, lots of fun and interesting melodies.

Settle for Nothing is a great Nirvana song Love the snare sound on this album Bullet in your head: so much sabbath! Stylistically homogenous throughout which is the album’s greatest strength and weakness at the same time as it could get the point across with Bombtrack and Take the Power Back, then call it a day. Freedom is also cool. A good heavy rock album with a lot to say that kind of popularized the rap-metal hybrid genre that was outside the mainstream.

I liked it

Classic album to enjoy, need to listen to it more. Liked a few songs, listened while doing a deadlift workout.

pretty good sound. Wish it wasn't so crass on the lyrics.

It was pretty good, one of the few albums id love an instrumental for

A pretty consistent album from front to back. A good mix of groove, aggression, and build-ups. The slow moments work well with the faster ones. The bass and drums being higher in the mix create a powerful atmosphere, with the vocals and guitar adding into it. Though a couple songs do sound same-y. Final Thoughts: Great album, though wouldn't go out of my way for a re-listen. Genre: Nu-Metal/Rap Metal, 1992. Rating: 4.3/5

Me and my whole friend group bumped Rage when we were 13-17, and we had some pretty questionable taste, including nu-metal - so this album must be crap. Hey, what d'ya know - it actually holds up pretty well. The guitar work is pretty dynamic, with distortion, texture, solos, and riffage. A lot of the guitar is rhythmic, which combined with rock drumming, super muscular bass, and spoken/rapped vocals means like 90% of their sound is rhythm. I respect how they combine rock, hip-hop, punk, and funk-metal. Zack is a very compelling vocalist. Cynically, you could say that the vague and angsty political messages are carefully formulated to make teenagers feel like revolutionaries when they break school uniform code or smoke a cigarette. However, some of the songwriting is also pretty memorable and good. My main issue is that lots of the songs use a technique of having a kind of breakdown in the middle, followed by a gradual build-up, then a crescendo where Zack shouts a slogan. I'm sure it works great for a mosh pit, but it gets pretty formulaic, and it also means most of the tracks end up 5-6 minutes. Overall though, I'm glad this is still a surprisingly solid record even when I'm no longer a bong-ripping teenage rebel. 4*

Lekkere muziek, wel druk.

Solid, just as good as when I first heard it in 1992. Its got a few tracs that don't measure up but overall pretty good.

I wasn't old enough (or even American) to understand American politics at the time, but a lot of these lyrics sounded relevant to today's political landscape (if a hellfire can be considered a landscape). I've always liked RATM. I don't put them on regular rotation but I appreciate them when I do listen to them.

One of the 1st rock albums I really got into. So many solid tracks on this album. Tom Morello's guitar playing on this was iconic for me when I was learning to play.

4.25

A boldly enduring album. Zack de la Rocha's poignant lyrics and powerful vocal delivery makes up a majority of the Rage in Rage Against The Machine. The rest of the band expertly backs him up with punctuating riffs from Morello, hard-hitting drums from Wilk, and Commerford with surprisingly groovy basslines. This culminates in the utterly fantastic 1-2 punch of Bombtrack followed by Killing in the Name. These two tracks still live on as genuinely fantastic shows of power from Rage and are arguably their best songs. As the album rolls on though, it is evident that Rage is something of a one-trick pony. And while I think they do that one trick particularly well, it gets pretty tiring when you heard it done best the first two times. A key exception I'll note is Know Your Enemy, which has some of the most interesting guitar work from Morello combined with a poignant outro from De La Rocha. Obviously this is a classic. There's reasonable room for discussion on the effectiveness of the band's core message and how it was delivered, but the debut Rage album is unforgettable at it's root. A tour de force in all respects.

Wow. That can be the best rapcore / rap metal album ever. Wonderful, dynamic music with pesymistic, fatalistic lyrics and tragedy on the cover - how can I be indifferent to it? First half of this album is great -5/5. The end is not as good but still enjoyable. 4,4

It's pretty solid. I'm very tired of hearing Killing In The Name of at this point in my life but it's still a good song. It's enjoyable, but I'm not crazy about it. I think the follow up, Evil Empire, is the superior RATM album. I'm giving it a 4. It's more like a 3.5 for the enjoyment I get from it. I'm tempted to give it a 1 just for all the crappy rap-rock bands that followed.

When I first listened to Rage, I played San Andreas, and boy did "Killing in the Name of" fit into the game. As for the rest of the album, I had not heard it until today. The lyrics clearly aimed to inspire the listener to stand up and rebel against the "system," which is a bit corny and over the top. As for the music, it added and complemented the lyrics with its high-energy, fast, and rough riffs to great success. Although it was, and maybe still is, a controversial record, I would say that looking at it from a musical standpoint, the average Hard Rock/Heavy Metal fan will find the fast and electric nature of the album itself a great listen. 4/5

Very good

Of course I know Rage Against the Machine, but I've never really listened to any of their deep cuts, save for one or two, so listening to a whole albums of theirs is new for me. I do quite enjoy this, super bumping with each song, just probably a bit repetitive, with each song following the same general format. Still good, and goes hard.

Yeah it still slaps

Every song could have been a minute shorter and it would have been a much tighter album. Zack de la Rocha yelling "yeah" and "unh" on every track only gets you so far. Very solid songs and overall structure of the album beyond that. A tighter editing would have made this a 5.

Full of good riffs and solos. Killing in the Name, Bullet in the Head, Know Your Enemy are standouts.

I've heard the singles, never listened to the album, rectified that today, enjoyed the record, will have to listen to it more. Some wild guitar sounds for sure!

fantastic album with strong songs

Classic album. 8/10

I’d run through a wall listening to this album

Angry. Amazing tone. Lyrics hyper-relevant 30 years later

Incredibly provocative. Probably the only good rap-rock hybrid

Captures angst perfectly and it still makes me pissed today while bobbing my head along. Noticed the drum playing more on this listen through and kudos. Also fuck 12

It’s a rare kind of alchemy found in these tracks. The words, grooves, attitudes fit like tectonic plates – first locking in, then finding friction, then pushing up together into the sky, building mountains. I’m always on the lookout for emotion-, feeling-, impulse-defining combinations of musicianship and lyricism – the sort of moments that take you to wherever the artist wanted you to go no matter your previous headspace. “Fuck you, I won’t do what you tell me”, sat atop that preposterously dialled-in groove is canon. It is slam dancing rebellion that throws everything at you and then its limbs; bratty rage against the machines of loving grace. (“Motherfucker”, it should be noted, is delivered with a similarly emphatic aplomb.) There’s more to this record than just that track – the 2009 U.K. Christmas number one –though. Lots. So much so that a whole generation can claim to have come of age bouncing around (moshing, pogoing, etc.) either under RATM’s direct influence or in the bombtrack’s aftershocks. I was in the latter camp; 12 years of age and tragically romanced by the concept of being “a mosher”. RATM are forever “fuck you, I won’t do what you tell me” – but they’re also battle of the bands nights at the local theatre, school talent shows, all ages gigs at struggling pubs (ones that let you buy beer if you could grow a moustache!), late-late nights drinking vodka red bulls in your mates’ garden. They’re a community, a kind of belonging through music that transcends a lot besides. And when that sort of togetherness is addressed to the forces of alienation and atomisation –that which tells us to jump and expect us to say “how high?” – there can no greater “fuck you” than that.

This album took up most of the 64MB my RCA Lyra MP3 player had to offer back in the summer of 2003 when I was working for my local town council mowing municipal properties. It got me through some long days, well until the AA batteries gave out.

Clasicazo sinceramente

Nostalgic memory. Quite repetitive, definitely need to be in a certain mood for this

4.5

Poco se puede decir de un disco que tiene una de las mejores canciones de la historia...

RAtM's debut album is still as raw and unflinching as when it first came out, perhaps even more relevant.

It's a little depressing how much the content of the songs holds up still.

an album ive heard many times reminiscent of some of the music we adore; and also, theyre awesome live. not an album to skimp on.

Sólido

I'm sure everyones review mentions it, but this has to be one of the best produced rock albums of all time. Even on songs i'm not crazy about like 'Settle for Nothing', the contrast between the quieter and louder parts, how well every instrument fits into the mix. The first minute of 'Take the Power Back' is a masterclass in how to mix an album. Outside of that, the political lyrics and the anger they're delivered with matches perfectly with the instrumentation. Only things stopping me from giving a 5 are a couple of weaker tracks, and a general feeling like the songs could use a bit of trimming. The whole album also just works off the same trick, but it's an innovative trick and it sounds good. The amazing production also masks over a lot of small issues, it's just great fun to listen to.

I first heard of Rage Against The Machine when I was in high school, when I'd see some of my classmates wearing shirts with the Evil Empire album cover on them. I didn't know anything about the band, but the students who wore the Evil Empire shirts were usually not to be fucked with, so I figured it wasn't anything I had any business listening to. However, over the years, I've heard a small handful of their songs, and I've become pretty well acquainted with their political views. This was my first time listening to one of their albums from start to finish, and I thought it was really great. Zack de la Rocha's vocals and Tom Morello's guitar playing are a match made in heaven. I love the heavy guitar distortion, and the fact that each song had a unique musical sound to it. I really enjoyed the politically charged lyrics on this album too. Once again, another album that's over thirty years old is talking about things that are still hot-button issues today. Kind of makes me wonder if this country is just doomed to keep repeating the same mistakes until the effects of climate change finally cook us all alive. All in all, this is a solid album, that sounds way ahead of its time, both musically and lyrically. Favorite Track: Take the Power Back

Such a good album to gym too, with a class cover art. Just a great album in general. One of the first albums I brought on vinyl. Such a great politically charged album.

30 years and holds up really well. I normally dislike US funk metal but this is a true original and inovator. It rocks hard...

Very good

These guys stole our group name >:( Killing in the Name will always go hard till the day I die. Some songs I never heard before. Take the Power Back was a favorite. I think this album falls into the category of the songs being so lyrically driven, but I don't pay attention to the lyrics word for word, so a lot of the purpose of the album gets lost on me. Tim Commerford has now entered my brain as a great bassist, based off this album. Definitely an impactful album socially. Simple repetition of some phrases is effective.

I never really got into RAtM back in the times, largely because the people I knew that liked them weren’t the kind of people I wanted to associate with: mostly racist wannabe tough guys who totally missed the point of what Rage was singing about. All that aside, this a good album. Righteous lyrics over a banging rhythm section and Tom Morello’s impressive guitar work. Solid.

Очень крутой

Brilliant, invigorating, extremely political album. Lyrically incisive and cool if, for obvious reasons, simplistic. Era-defining definitely although passed me by a little bit. Album art is extraordinary. Very strong 4

🤘

Great album, haven’t listened to the entirety before. I enjoy how the energy, music, and lyrics blend and match perfectly.

I think rap rock/rap metal is usually an ill-advised medley, but I’m almost convinced it could work off of this album because it rocks. Anger, power, rhythm, awesome awesome guitar playing. Best song: Killing in the Name

Strong

Ever amazing Rage Against The Machine, politically on point and full of energy. The self-immolation of the Vietnamese monk as the album cover is just a taste of what you can expect to hear throughout the record. You can't deny this genre bending amalgamation is perfect to pump you up and get you started for whatever you are doing. Best: Killing In The Name Worst: Take The Power Back

The greatest combination of rock and rap ever made, maybe? This music makes me wanna burn down a police station. Just as potent now as it was 30 years ago. Well, I assume. So far, this is by far the best weightlifting soundtrack of any album I've reviewed here. I think this is the first time I've ever heard rap-rock that wasn't cringe

They're just so angry /s. Pretty good rap rock with very salient points. Even today.

30 years later and the lyrics as meaningful as ever

Man this is great. Especially considering it's their debut. Incredible.

rage is a hard hitting, still relevant force. speaking meaningfully about their time and place, while still being cutting edge for radio adjacent and radio forward music. tom morello knows guitar tones, la rocha’s growl is fierce and grating. good ass band, yo. those that work forces are the same that burn crosses!

This album remains perhaps the only one of its kind that remains listenable. Preceding what would later become alternative metal, rap-core, and then arguably nu metal, etc., RATM is the gold standard that did not seem to sell out, at least as badly, to the 'machine'. The best part of this album though is the mix, taking De La Rocha's lyrics and hip-hop/rap style engineering we are given a hard rock album with authoritative thump that drives the passionately angry protest vibes with an aurally tangible fervor. Those are what makes the album great, but it sort of also becomes where the album begins to plateau. Zack's rhythm and prose are consistent throughout, the band's style and instrumentation follow suit so very well, but this album is a forced feeding to the listener of their political feelings and offers little in terms of where to go from there and in a frustrating way that while it motivates the fight it offers no visibility into what winning would look like. This is the thinking man's review, but objectively and with regard to the music and with total respect for political beliefs that favor with good intentions values that are at their core agreeable, there may not be a better or more effective display of politics in the world of music.

arrancó bárbaro después me fue dando más paja igual 8/10

Very good. The only complaint is the songs all start sounding the same eventually.

Love me some rage

This album is sooo good! Kinda makes you wanna scream at the top of your lungs “FUCK YOU KERRY”. I dont know why but that’s the feeling I get.

Une nouvelle super bande de joyeux gueulards, ce genre musical est définitivement dans le coup. Je profite de ce commentaire pour m'inquiéter pour la santé de Robert. Ce dernier a en effet passé tout le week end de Pâques a se défoncer la gueule à coup de rails de coke et autres seringues, nous proposant une série d'albums tout bonnement exceptionnelle. Il a été admis hier en cure de désintoxe, mais a quand même réussi ce matin à sniffer un peu de cocaïne depuis son lit, nous proposant l'album de Jacques Brel. Son état de santé est dans un état critique, et qui sait de quoi demain sera fait.

Never actually listened to this before, it's pretty good!

Solid Rage Against the Machine stuff. Not really much else to say here, other than I'm surprised this band ended up so mainstream given the subject matter, but the guitar work is obviously incredible. Standouts: Bombtrack, Killing in the Name, Bullet In the Head, Wake Up

c'est comme un paquet de bingos j'aime beaucoup mais je sais déjà que y'a des bingos dedans. lourd quand même

Solid.

It’s what I imagine it would be like if a drug dealer offered you a various sample of all his mixes of uppers. It some pretty hardcore stuff and I’m probably not experienced enough with it to tell the difference. Doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it, but just need something to bring me back down. ‘Wake Up’ is the credit song from ‘The Matrix’ and is a pretty good guitar grinder.

Rage Against the Machine's self-titled debut album is an explosive and politically charged piece of work. Released in 1992, this album immediately made a huge impact on the music world and solidified the band's place as one of the most influential groups of their time. From the explosive opener "Bombtrack," the listener is thrust into a world of furious guitars, thundering drums, and Zach de la Rocha's powerful vocals. The band's signature sound is a unique blend of heavy metal, punk rock, and hip-hop, which they use to great effect to deliver their uncompromising political message. Rage Against the Machine tackles issues such as police brutality, government corruption, and corporate greed. Tracks like "Killing in the Name" and "Bullet in the Head" are particularly powerful, with de la Rocha's vocal delivery and lyrics doing a good job by aggresively calling out the injustices of the system and demanding change. It’s not just de la Rocha who makes this album what it is. Tom Morello's guitar work is impressive, as he uses a variety of innovative techniques to create sounds that are unlike anything else in rock music. The rhythm section of Tim Commerford on bass and Brad Wilk on drums is tight and powerful, providing a solid foundation for the band's explosive sound. The album is a powerful statement of political defiance that still resonates today, and a testament to the band's talent and creativity.

Good stuff, feels like it started getting a bit flat in the second half, but still enjoyable Saved tracks: Killing In The Name, Know Your Enemy, Wake Up

Look, it's good. It defined a generation of angry people. Its message is still relevant. But it's not aged tremendously well. Personally, given the choice of this or a SOAD album, I'll take Serj and the boys over RATM all day.

⭐ Bullet In The Head

One of the most influential albums in the US. Not really my type of music-- although i do like rock music a lot, i think it might be a way better album if i actually take the time to understand the lyrics.

One of my favorite albums in high school. There was nothing quite like this, although some bands approached this sound. Loved the hard-hitting sound, the defiance in the lyrics, even though I didn't truly understand the message. Today there's not as much enjoyment in the aggressiveness as there once was. Still a great album. 1 - bad 2 - average 3 - good 4 - great 5 - outstanding

I absolutely love the counter culture, anti-establishment lyrics. I’m shocked I’ve never bothered to listen to RATM before. I loved this!

Super

good album. put a couple songs on the liked. some are a little goofy but its okay.

Great songs with amazing lyrics. I’ve heard a few songs from this group before, but never a whole album. I was not disappointed.

Mjög solid plata.

A bona-fide classic

Listened Before: Many Times This album was a staple of my high school years. It still holds up pretty well, and it has a good (but violent) message. I may not groove on it as intensely anymore but I still listen to it occasionally. Added to Library? Y Songs added to playlist: Wake Up

Sounds great if a bit one note. Nice grooves and heavy lyrics. Enjoyed

Nice, little bit strange at the beginning

So good. A 1 2 punch at the beginning and just keeps pounding on you until the rib breaking body blow of “Wake Up”

although the riffs are similar, they have enough character and are individually iconic to not feel rote. lyrics are less flowery than my favorite songwriters, but that’s the point- the lyrics are blunt, hard hitting, and shouting uncomfortable truths from the cafeteria table. iconic record

Absolute banger, fuck the system

funny tom morello guitar

They told me to give this album a 4 and I did what they told me.

81/100: I was beginning to grow sick of exclusively listening to Black Sabbath while working out, so I was excited to listen to this during my workout today. I then found my thoughts about this album to be incredibly dependent on the circumstances of my environment while listening to it. That is to say, I absolutely loved this album. I thought it was incredible, and kept thinking to myself, "Damn, I need to listen to more hard rock." In hindsight, though, I wonder how much that perspective was influenced by the fact that I had a bunch of pre-workout coursing through my veins and was moving heavy objects. I should probably listen to this one again in a more sober state, but I don't know if I really want to. Right now, this album resides in a niche but otherwise nearly vacant corner of my brain: music that can unfailingly pump me up. I'm worried listening to it in any other setting besides one clouded by pre-workout and dumbbells will unconsciously tie the album to other corners of my brain, thus tainting its niche role. I suppose in terms of reviewing this album, though, I'm at somewhat of an impasse. I don't feel comfortable classifying this album as one of my top albums of the project so far, because I know it doesn't deserve to be; however, based on how I felt listening to it while working out, maybe it should be? I frequently say "I don't grade on a curve," but that's usually with respect to other people's opinions of albums or, more typically, genres. I feel like I'm battling my own split opinion here; therefore, I feel a bit more comfortable "curving" my grade of this album down a bit to reflect some of the retrospective, more sober thoughts I have about this album.

Before this, I only knew a few of the famous Rage Against The Machine songs. This album was amazing. The only reason I can't bring myself to give it a 5 is because it doesn't change much tone-wise throughout the album; the songs begin to blend together. Even so, this was great, and I think it's perfect for what it is. The music is awesome, and I love the guitar on this album. The lyrics are very potent and they are still rather relevant today. I also enjoyed the vocal performance on this album. My favourite songs were probably Killing In The Name, Fistful of Steel, and Township Rebellion.

Finally got around to listening to this properly. Guitar is very standout throughout, I just prefer music with more varied instrumentation. Important topics covered in quite short and snappy shouted phrases. This is a good album if a little overrated 4/5 Favourite tracks: Bombtrack, Killing in the name, bullet in the head, know your enemy

A landmark but also a genuinely great album. Of course, the focal point is Zack de la Rocha's righteous fury and Tom Morello's magnificent and inventive riffing. On the other hand, the solos are just serviceable with some nice noise-inspired passages. The rhythm section is also low in originality, but very, VERY high on angry grooving, just like the compositions and song structures demand. Overall, a must have and indeed one of 1,001 albums (or less) you should hear before you die.

an all time classic

High energy with insane bass riffs, very politically-centered lyrics with an edge to them. Genuinely feels like he means what he says, overall I'd say a 8/10

Feel ready to overthrow my government

Smá nostalgía. 1992 þótti mér mjög mikilvægt að tónlistarmenn notuðu ekki syntha en þeim mun skrýtnari hljóð sem gítarinn gæfi frá sér því betra, RATM toppuðu sig þar. Því sögðu, þá finnst mér platan örlítið dala er líður á, en hún er samt ansi góð.

Very eager but some good songs. Really hafts be in the mood for their music though

I mean it’s Rage

I rate this album a 8/10, I liked it although it gets a little repetitive.

I did enjoy it. Some of the riffs and songs started to sound very similar. But it definitely got my head bouncing.

Never heard any of their songs other than Killing in the Name before. Album was pretty good, esp as a first album

I definitely enjoyed it way more than I was expecting. I figured it would get old after a few songs or the songs would be too aggressive, but they are actually quite melodic. And that’s despite Zach yelling all over them (which is thoroughly enjoyed as well). Great vocals and guitar work and some good political commentary to boot. 8/10

Rage Against the Machine truly lice up to their name. These songs are rap metal critiques of society especially the social and racial history of the United States. Unlike other rap metal artists, the vocal delivery isn’t overwrought but simple and concise in order to made the point. I get tinges of Beastie Boys in the vocals as well. Overall I found this to be an enjoyable and effective album.

This doesn’t sound like anything that came out in that time period. Because of this it holds up incredibly well. Song after song of protest, anger and societies apocalypse are coupled with the funkiest bass lines and a guitar screaming so loud you’ll swear it were being stabbed to death.

Riveting, uncompromising music that hits you like a punch to the gut. The band rocks extremely hard, but is also full of funk. I really like the balance they tread between slow burning menace and those throttling bursts of energy. I don't think anyone does that better than RATM. The message continues to resonate, even 30 years after it came out. Fave Songs: Killing in the Name, Bullet in the Head, Know Your Enemy, Settle for Nothing, Freedom

la playlist walk like a badass fait pâle figure

He has such raw energy. I originally avoided this album for the sole purpose of his voice (I couldn’t stand it) but it grew on me. Its message is generational and it’s flowers are well deserved.

Great guitar by Tom Morello

It’s been 30 years and this album feels more relevant than ever. Hard-edged without being discordant, full of righteous fury.

Yup that's rage against the machine I think I just like the one song everyone else likes about them after that it's kind of like, uh... I don't know if I want to actually listen to these guys anymore

The best songs are just so good. Some half baked shit bogs it down in the middle.

This album was influential, and holds up well.

I have a soft spot for RATM. This album prob their best. Sadly all the messages are still highly relevant. Tom Morello’a guitar work is fantastic with his use of the octave/harmonizer as well as his scratch-like playing, one of the greats. Only tragedy is a lot of the fans of this band just like it cause it’s “hard” and ignore the politics, which is the point. I’m looking at you Paul Ryan.

Definitely the best Rage album, but still one that I find is ideally consumed in smaller batches. It does start to sound slightly samey the more I listen. But overall a lot of fun. 3.5/4

F**K YOU I WON'T DO WHAT YOU TELL ME!

La música esta bárbara. Despues de ver el doc de woodstock 99 me preocupa escuchar esta música y transformarme en un varón blanco enojado sin causa(? . Bue. Las letras no estan vacías pero se me hace cansador la presencia constante de la violencia y la muerte.

My father used to listen to this a lot when I was a kid. Still works for me, but every track sounds like the others so it's a bit too much. That's definitely an album to listen to if you need energy!

Interestingly, not as heavy as I expected! It has 90s hip hop tones which I liked - they're not two genres that I would immediately put together so hearing how well it worked was a pleasant surprise. P.S. I failed to take note of standout tracks, and will do so for the succeeding albums.

So good

They have so many good guitar licks. I’m also so amped on the fuck the system vibes. He doubles vocals and in general he is able to crate dynamics in his rapping which is super cool. Overall I love this album but I don’t know why I won’t give it 5.

Lots of fond memories from high school days

I can’t deny this is one of the most influential albums of the 90s. I forgot how old this one actually is (33 in 2025!) My only dig is this is way too long. Most songs only need to be like 3 minutes. But you have Zack trying to get in everything lyrically and Tom Morello has to do his thing every song.

Raw. Energy. Spoken/Rap lyrics. Evolving songs (chords etc change as song goes on, elaborates), which isn't my favourite. Can be meandering. Has some classics, like Killing in the Name of and some songs I'd like to hear again.

Absolute classic. Always admired artists that so tastefully bring together multiple genres and this is no exception; an exciting splicing of funk, rock and hip hop.

Always a classic. Not a fan of every track but a stellar band from the 90’s.

Killing in the Name one of my goats. This album being 30 years old really makes you realize time is a circle tho

It’s hard to believe this album came out in 1992, 30 years ago! I would have guessed late 90s. Regardless, this album rocks and the shining star is Tom Morello’s guitar with Timmy C’s bass being notable too. These guys’ music makes me want to run through a brick wall. It’s that powerful. Zach de la Rocha’s delivery also gets me amped up. The guy strongly dislikes the establishment. The last two songs trail off a bit, but not enough to totally derail this flaming wrecking ball of rage.

Rock/alternative metal mixed with white rap. The music is interesting and experimental. I was only bored with the first track, it's quite repetitive, but the rest of the album was a pleasant surprise. I don't dig the vocalist. He sounds like prepubescent Fred Durst. The bass tone is killer. I feel if I gave this album a 3/5 someone would make me look like the guy on the album cover.

Detta komme vidare til oslo

I don't think I will ever get tired of this album, although playing it in the car might lead to a few speeding tickets. Tom Morello's innovative guitar effects are the icing on the cake here. 4 stars no doubt. Almost every track is a must-listen.

Classic.

FUCK Prefs: Bombtrack, Killing In The Name, Take The Power Back, Bullet In The Head, Know Your Enemy, Wake Up, Township Rebellion, Freedom Moins pref: Settle For Nothing

Every tone in Rage's arsenal is distinctive, and the self-titled sticks to meat and potatoes from opening to closing riffs. The album's well-aged, sadly. It's a pretty simple record; That's not a bad thing, but does mean that the mentioned riffs aren't as melodically distinctive as they could have been. By far one of the best album covers ever, but I suppose that comes down to a perfect photograph.

Enjoyed more now that I listened more carefully. Still not keen on the vocals, but the music is good. I enjoyed many of the later songs on the album like "wake up".

exactly as name suggests.

I'll never totally understand why I wasn't dialed into this band until much later on. I was 20 when this album came out and totally into the whole post punk and grunge movements. Yet, this band completely escaped me. Maybe I was still too Republican at the time. I can't imagine being more pissed off at life than in 1992.

Although quite samey (chorus = repeat the same line louder and louder until shout reached) this is great. V familiar but much funkier than I remembered. Mad to think it's very clear about their politics 30 years ago and still people don't get it.

I listened to this and now I want to break something.

One of the more influential and political rock albums. Rage makes a very strong and hardcore album. Roche has a great way of vocalizing and making his voice carry into your ears and thoughts. Killing in the Name is one of the best rock tracks ever as well. A phenomenal album. 8.6/10

goes hard as fuck 4.5

Very Very good title album

Excellent album. Funky, hard and political.

i sure appreciate the purpose of every lyric in this album! rage held exactly nothing back in every song—lyrically and musically. i have nothing but respect for tom morello, as a person and a guitarist, and i absolutely love hearing that killer guitar. morello and his guitar absolutely make this album better. that being said, some songs were great! some, however, were grating against my precious ears—which i recognize is the whole point of it, 'cause rage goes against the mainstream. but it resulted in me unfortunately skipping some tracks. the whole album does deserve to have a listen. rage's anger came through easily. the album inspires more anger, and encourages the continued social justice fight. not to mention, this combination of rap and metal was so unique for its time. at the time of this review, rage is up for nomination for the rock and roll hall of fame for their fifth year. i hope 2022 is their year. fight the man.

Rock guitarrero con fuerza. Canciones que algunas han perdurado en el tiempo. Voz inconfundible

Hmmm...some Rage Against the Machine. I know of them, but maybe by pretty much name only. For the first 20 seconds of the first track, I thought "Oh, this isn't what I was expecting at all. I could really like this...Ah...there it is, that's it..." Rage has a sound similar to other harder rockin' bands of the 90s. I actually have a greater appreciation for their sound now than I did when I was younger, I think. There is nice funkiness to the rock music here. But also, after nearly an hour of being yelled at, I was kind of exhausted.

I've managed to avoid RATM all these years and now I'm not sure why. I think I assumed they'd be too rage-y for me. Turns out we're outraged by the same stuff and I should have listened before. I dig it.

Still stands up as a great album

Ground breakingly different. So Good.

Мне кажется ребятам нужно было остановиться на половине альбома.

to this day

4, pretty fucking good motherfucker. Rap and metal has never mended this well. The cover is so goddamn cool and iconic, that its hard not to put it at 5 just to see it, but the music is just not quite there. Too samey.

In many ways I've never moved past the year 2000 when I heard Wake Up (The Matrix) and Guerrilla Radio (THPS2) for the first time. The rebel unlocked. Drop the steak, eat the rich. // Some of those that hold office, are the same that burn crosses //

Probably a 4.5, a few tracks don't quite hit the mark but it's great nonetheless

The album starts agressively, all in, and is full of energy. Middle of the album (e.g. Settle for nothing) is a bit less energetic

HOT album. I love Rage and first grew into them during the Guitar Hero days. Last year I listened to their discography (or was that two years ago now) and there are some bangers on here. I love Bombtrack and Killing in the Name.

Oh here we go. Love Rage Against the Machine, and I think I've heard this album before but it's nice to hear it again. They've always got a fantastic level of....yep, you guessed it: rage. Strong political lyrics, especially those on Killing in the Name that are burned in my brain: "some of those that work forces, are the same that burn crosses." Really funny that some people accuse them these days of softening or becoming lefties or whatever. Those people have no concept of "the machine." Anyway, legendary band and fantastic album album, big shout out to Tom Morello on guitar. Favorite tracks: Killing in the Name, Know Your Enemy, Bombtrack, Fistful of Steel, Freedom. Album art: Harrowing picture of the monk who burned himself alive in Saigon. These guys clearly don't possess the peace or calm that he had, but the message gets through just the same. 4.5/5

Politically Poignant Today

Turns out most Rage songs I really like are on this album. High energy, lots of anger, great lyrics.

Tom Morello is the man. The guitar is the best I have heard yet on this project.

4.1 - heavy bass beats and engaging vocals. Great lyrics. The mix of heavy metal and rap creates a sum that is greater their individual parts.

What a banger of an album. The bass lines and lyrics are equally powerful. It's a tragedy the same themes of injustice are still at play 30 years later. Bombtrack, Killing In the Name, Take the Power Back, Know Your Enemy are my top picks.

This albums does not stop

Liked this more than I expected to. It's too long, but I enjoyed it throughout. 3.5/5

Lots of energy - very angry

heavy rap rock. Gotta be in the mood.

Really can feel the rage, what a nice album, maybe a litle bit repetitive

Great when you're in the mood for it.

Bombtrack - Cool start to the album. Gets you in the moods for what I assume is to come. Actually really like this track. Killing in the Name - Classic. Take the Power Back - The bass at the start is the best thing about this song. Bullet in the Head - This had me dancing around the room air guitaring so I must like it. Not too big a fan of Take the Power Back or Settle for Nothing and thought Freedom was a bit of a boring one to end on but overall really solid album - first time I've listened to Rage properly and really enjoyed it, nice angry music to move to. Literally have no idea how people can think 'Rage Against the Machine should keep politics out of their songs'0 when that's all they're about! :')

What a classic

clearly rock with something? Some anarchist ideas and revolutionary tones, lots of throat hurting shouting and repetition. Why not?

Classic

Soundtrack of my youth. Hearing this again as an adult only gives me more appreciation for the sentiments expressed within.

Feels like an angsty trip down a funky memory lane. Solid album.

Home of the excellent and iconic 'Killing in the Name', objectively the best Christmas number 1 of all time. Rage Against the Machine starts out really strong, has a bit of a dip in the middle before it Wakes Up (see what I did there) again towards the end. Overall, though, a great listen.

Man, I wish I'd been switched on to music when this album came out (and not, like, 3 years old) because I reckon I would have felt like I'd just discovered the cold hard heavy truth of the universe, and it would have absolutely fucked me up in the best of ways.

Strong debut. Bombastic and, of course, Killing in the name of.

Great album all the way through, surprised I hadn't heard a few of the tracks before

Banger album, but in typical Gen X fashion and given RATM's career from then on, I wonder to what extent I was being sold an "angry youth" narrative from a group of guys that are all now multimillionaires. Still, it was really a new sound for its time and I confess that I still give it a spin now and then.

This album is a blast and reminds me greatly of my teenager rage. Was surprised how much I liked the handful of songs that didn't become singles from this album.

There’s some wicked tracks here and the lads rock hard. Although the tracks become indistinguishable after a while, it’s fun to dip into once in a while to enjoy the anger and the energy.

Still get aggressive from it (which is a good thing in this case hehe)!

Classic album of my teenage years.

Cool to listen to after playing the songs on guitar hero for years

Seminal hip-hop/rock but a bit samey

fun

Full of absolute bangers. Killing in the name, Bullet in the Head and Wake Up being particular standouts

nzm ko je ove naljutio al dobro ih je naljutio

God I love a good bassline. Settle for Nothing stands out for that reason

Wake Up is good.

Nous goes vroom vroom I really like

I have to be in the right mood for Rage, but when I am they get me fired up. They pack all the righteous indignation, outrage, and anger at the way the world is into really strong songs. I think this album was groundbreaking. 4 stars.

I don't even care about their politics or whatever. This album is straight up 'getting swole' or prepping for an underground fight music. If music makes me want to kick some ass, it gets a good rating. Not a five, though, because the lyrics do get all Edgy College Freshman at times.

Mucha energía, música muy molona, de adolescente me habría vuelto loco.

Stevig, powerfull, gewoonweg 😤😤. Killing in the name of krijgt op de plaat een nieuw leven. Als single wat overrated en grijs gedraaid maar in het geheel komt het volledig tot zijn recht en tilt dit album tot een volgend niveau. DAMN, that "take the power back" base intro! drums op het einde van "bullet in the head" klinken als gunshots. Know your enemy, de gitaarrif, so nice. I need that enter shikari collab. 4.5/5

killing in the name blijft hard. Ik heb ook de demo's beluisterd en zijn ook goed. Ik moet wel zeggen dat het op de duur (2 uur lang) vaak een dezelfde sound krijgt. Heb ook niet echt naar de lyrics geluisterd. Mindset's a threat Township rebellion zijn aanraders

This is a fantastic album with some incredible talent behind it. Highlights are bombtrack, know your enemy and wakeup

Best anti-establishment album ever

Didn’t think I would like it. Turns out it’s pretty awesome. Bits of hip hop mixed with rock and roll.

LOUD NOISES

Didn’t realize how many songs I recognized from it. Quality album

Thought it was try hard at first but this is good shit

Amazing, 8/10. Already listened to some of these songs regularly

Pretty good.

Good

Wea wena

Classic, the only band I can think of that successfully mixes rap and metal. Although I prefer battle of la

A baller of an album, big hit of nostalgia for me as one of the first more edgier albums I listened to. Some misses on here means it doesn't quite make a 5* for me but the hits are so strong its close. 4*

Couple of duffers but mostly a nostalgic banger. Morello is one of the greatest guitarists of his generation

Wonderfully angry. Really good.

i thoroughly enjoyed the whole fuckin thing. I'll go back through it with the lyrics sometime

Still extremely listenable

cool

Oh my god boys let me breathe

I don't really know what Rage is usually categorized as, but the lyrics and message are straight up punk. I think that the album has aged rather well, to the point where if you knew some disenfranchised teen you could say "hey, listen to this" and they'd eat it up. This is also the only Rage album that I can listen to; it's not that there wasn't enough things to sing about, but it seems they focussed all their energy on making sure their first album had exactly what they wanted to say on it, and kinda ran out of a theme or message for the others. Like, this album they wanted to sing about X, Y and Z, and in their other albums it was like "hey we haven't sung about G yet, let's do a song about G." I think the only issue with it now is that it was overplayed, so most of its magic has been lost via familiarity.

First few songs have a really great beat, great melody. Not a metal music fan but this is great. Not a fan of the demo tracks at disc 2, but overall the album is great. Although I am looking for a more diversified melody in the album, it is still alright.

Great 👍🏻

Re-listening for the generator. Great stuff here full of fire, back when raging against the machine was automatically cool and wasn’t seemingly exclusively the province and purview of smug dorks online. 8/10

1st one. it's good, not great

debut album of RATM. They were sort of the first to successfully merge heavy metal and hip hop. The cover photo is of a real monk who self-immolated as a protest.

Nostalgic for me

This brings me back. A full listen and I was surprised at how much of the album I know, never having owned it. College houseparties screaming about 'fuck the norm', but listening now the music phrasing is sick as hell.

tom morello was SHREDDDINGGG i liked this album way more than i thought i would, it's perfect whenever you need a good energy boost and get your angst out.

Very consistent production

Makes Kirstie Rage (not against the machine)

Good tracks. Pulsing rhythm, without being too hardcore. Could be something to put on in the background for workouts

Such an iconic album, though I'm between 4 and 5 stars, only because I can't say that I love every song on here. I would give 4.5 stars if I could.

Not really my style but a lot of fun. Anger, angst, antiestablishment. Started really strong and kind of tailed off.

Really good, may listen to more

Yeah! Rage! Rage hard!

Excellent blend of metal, rap, and hardcore. Not that foreign today but ground-breaking in its time. It's also aged very well and is still as relevant and heavy today. Favorite tracks: "Bombtrack", "Wake Up"

Explosive in the best way. And so groovy. 7.5/10 F.T.: Bomobtrack

3.75/5. It was fine, too intense for me. I think as an album it is good, but I just do not enjoy this type of music, and that affects what I think of an album.

The music and message align and what would normally not work (funky rap rock) sounds vital and exciting. Album maybe tails off a big towards the end.

I have listened to this before, but found it much harder going this time. Still okay though, and first contain the greatest UK Christmas number 1 of all time!

På trods af at det ikke er min smag, så er det da fed nok. Kan dog aldrig se en situation for mig, hvor jeg ville sætte det på.

An incredible freshman effort. Playing the first track super quietly to make you turn up the volume is devious and I love it. However, the last two songs are just a lot to listen to back to back.

Generally first time listening to a whole metal album… ngl my ears alr hurt in the first song Most of the time I can’t hear the lyrics Generally deep lyrics throughout I don’t have much anger in me to resonate with this album But their usage of instruments is really quite cool

For what it is, I think it is really good. The only thing wrong is that it just isn't my preferred style of music. I think it is a shame, because I think that if I were into this genre, I would really enjoy this album. There are definitely some songs that I found quite interesting to listen to. My issue with albums of this genre is that instrumentally, it is always the same throughout... Yeah, there are some interesting things they can do at times with those instruments, but I would like a bit of variation, maybe with different instruments throughout. I didn't have an issue with the vocals... they worked well with the style and sound, so no complaints on that end really. I just think that I don't kind of vibe with the lyricism of most heavy tracks, but I can appreciate some of the creativity behind them. Standouts: Killing In the Name Know Your Enemy Freedom

6 - AVERAGE

Bomb

ну...таке нормісне

Full of classics but get annoyed by his teenage crisis voice ! Also, many songs are using the similar riff which makes you feel that you're listening the same song over and over

3.5, for the good mems

Started out digging this but then it got too redundant. Fight the war, fuck the power, all that stuff over and over. Still bangs though.

It's a 5/5 after a few brews with your boys but a 3/5 when sober

Did you do what they told ya?

bu grubu seviyorummm bu albümü biliyordum güzel

Es un rock un poco pesado para mi gusto pero la verdad lo disfruté.

It is such an energetic album. The politically-themed angst throughout the album is even more so relevant as time passes. 8/10 [KEEP]

Сара 2 Марко 4

I know it’s good wasn’t in the mood to listen tho may listen another day

didnt like it bc of the rap

I respect the rage but do not like the music much. I added “Killing in the Name” to my playlist.

I can appreciate the lyrics, but just not my fave type of music

Good but repetitive

Never really got into these American alt rock bands from the 90s and it is evident in my ratings for albums from Cypress Hill, Beastie Boys, RHCP, System of Down, Limp Bizkit etc. There are elements in each of these songs that are good and Tom Morello is an excellent guitarist, but the style of the music is just not my thing at all and I feel like his skill is kind of lost in the midst of it. I felt like a lot of the songs sounded the same and followed the same recipe. By the time I got to Township Rebellion, it sounded like the same song I had heard already. I respect the importance of this album, I respect the political commentary, but I am not going to listen to it again. I didn't come away from this listen feeling like I had missed something or wanted to go explore more of their back catalogue. Worst song is Settle for Nothing, standout is obviously Killing in the name, with a shoutout to Wake Up. 3 stars

not my genre but enjoyable

Not my vibe, but it's good. Makes you wanna shake your ass a bit 🤤

This was really quite good for corporate America rock.

I’ve been excited to get this because I had the inverted version of most experiences with this album - I really, really hated it in high school and am hoping my opinion changes as an adult. It wasn’t a particularly informed opinion. I was vaguely aware of their politics and would probably have liked it better if I knew more but I always associated RATM with the kind of bands the biggest assholes listened to. You know, these guys, Sublime, Limp Bizkit, Korn, Slipknot, that kinda music. Every dude you knew who was super into Sublime was also five seconds away from calling you three different homophobic slurs. That kind of dude also latched on to RATM because it was loud and aggressive. Anyway. Listening to it now as an adult I don’t hate it. It’s a little adolescent (“Some of those that work forces / Are the same that burn crosses” is a fantastic line, chanting “fuck you I won’t do what you tell me” shortly after is kind of embarrassing) and there’s a part of me that recoils from rap metal but I totally get the appeal of this band now. It’s a shame I didn’t get a chance to connect with this as a teenager but I’m just as on board with the politics now and I’m happy I got a chance to have my reckoning with the band. Still probably a three but a happy three. It is so, so, so weird that on an album list compiled by elitist music nerds this is the closest we get to Tool being anywhere on the list

2 tracks in - feeling very skater boy, very punk-ish

They do seem quite mad

Was a pretty good album although I thought I would have liked it more. Not necessarily any songs I loved but was none I hated.

Bit repetitive, but alright overall

So Christmassy xxxx Honestly feels like it could have been recorded this year, which is both impressive and depressing There's one track that sounds like they just tried to cram in as many annoying noises as possible, that has marked it down for me.

J'ai vraiment pas de bol avec le metal, dans cette liste, c'est jamais des trucs que j'aime. Bon, je vais pas non plus faire la gueule, au moins, celui-ci, je le trouve pas nul du tout. Une collègue de la fac m'avais prêté l'album il y a plus de 10 ans et j'avais pas accroché. J'étais curieux d'y revenir, mais décidément, ce n'est pas fait pour moi. Ces riffs ne me parlent absolument pas, ça manque de nervosité, on est assez loin du metal plus... conventionnel ? Bon en même temps c'est de la fusion entre du rap et du metal, ça pouvait pas juste être du heavy metal avec du rap par-dessus, ça aurait été nul. Soyons sérieux 5 minutes : même si j'accroche pas, je comprends pourquoi ça parle à énormément de monde. C'est rageur, ça tape là où ça fait mal et par les temps qui courent, ça fait du bien. Le groupe a une personnalité unique, on le reconnaît en une seconde, ce qui est pas donné à tout le monde. J'ai beau me plaindre des riffs qui ne me parlent pas, il faut bien dire ce qui est : ils sont très efficaces et en concert, ça doit être quelque chose. Avec Zack de la Rocha qui s'énerve par-dessus avec, encore une fois, un chant qui s'éloigne des standards du metal, ça a quelque chose de vraiment cathartique. Je comprends pourquoi cet album figure dans la liste. Bon, c'est pas tout ça, mais quand est-ce que je vais avoir droit à mon album d'Iron Maiden ? Il y a bien un album d'Iron Maiden dans la liste, hein ? Robert Dimery, tu vas pas me décevoir une fois de plus, hein ? PS : oh mais en plus, c'est sorti en 1992, j'avais pas fait gaffe ! C'était carrément avant-gardiste, en plus !

Really enjoyed the vibe of this, properly makes you feel pumped and that you can take on the world. The genre of music isn't really for me. but really well crafted album with some bangers.

Almost 25 years on and America is still corrupt.Heavy Metal + Hip Hop = Rage

power

Whilst i respect it, the instrumentation is amazing, but the vocals i cant get much behind

Sounds a little dated today. It's fine, but every 90s album should be about 20% shorter.

6/10

I really enjoyed Tom Morello's guitar work. KITNO and Know Your Enemy are particular highlights. But it gets really repetitive.

My interest in ratm is largely the guitar playing of Tom Morello. I’m sympathetic to the lyrical content but the delivery is repetitive. They do manage to create some great grooves but this album hasn’t aged as well as I hoped.

Para escuchar si tenes que levantar pesado

I have liked Rage, but never loved them. They were great on the radio, but listening to an entire album in a sitting was always a fatiguing affair for me. There are amazing tracks on this album, but it starts to wear thin after some amount of time. The naked political protest themes tire me out. Morello's excellent guitar play starts to lose it's novelty. De La Rocha's vocals grate by the end of the record. All of that said, this album still goes hard. There's a lot of good stuff there...I just need to space it all out a little bit.

Rage against the machine! Bombtrack - an alright first outing of this album, but when I’ve heard of this band in the past all I’ve heard is that it’s peak metal. This is in no way bad, but I’ve heard metal I enjoy more. Killing in the name is always a great track, and I do enjoy it. Take the power back had some sick bass that I could actually hear for once. The spoken word intro of settle for nothing wasn’t my thing, but the rest of the track had some good moments and some good lyrics. I didn’t really like Bullet in the Head. It was almost hip-hoppy. Know your enemy was much better. Wake up had some really cool effects that I liked. The guitar in the fistful of steel intro was great. Again, I didn’t love the rap-style of the delivery, but a lot of the track is very well put together. Towering rebellion and Freedom were very similar to me. Overall, I have mixed feelings about the album. Great guitar, great lyrics, but very samey vocals and sounds. 3/5 ⭐️ 123/1089

Some killer songs, especially at the beginning. But it all sounds the same by the end

So much anger... Not my general vibe, but I do appreciate it.

rap- metal; funk-metal; antisistema 63/100 personal 2.2/5

May be 2 or 2.5 good ones in them but

6/10

It's good but wouldn't listen to this myself that often

Very important album, with some great tracks. Although it feels a tad repetitive at times, I would listen to it again in the right mood.

This is very tame and reddit today, but I bet it hit hard back then.