Reviews (page 11 of 14)
Rebellious middle class teenager music
if joey valence and brey had guitars
love the message but the music has its ups and downs
i enjoyed it better in the background
Musically this is great but I’m just not angry enough for the lyrics.
Cool grooves, hard and crunchy. It is a powerful political piece, I can't say I agree with them fully but I appreciate their commitment. I like the industrial sound they create. The vocals are not my favorite part, they are good in parts but just gets a bit monotonous. I will give him credit, you can feel his passion for the message. The album cover is pretty great, meshes with their vibe on this album well.
Well I definitely felt the rage. While this not necessarily my favorite genre, I did like this album. Every song does kind of sound the same, but I found myself not really minding, I think the lyrics of these songs are more important than the instrumental. Three stars. (Favorite track: Killing In the Name.)
Kinda corny but still a better listen than I was expecting. Felt weird listening at my corporate office job
Bien para entrenar
Lyrics 5/5 but the music doesn’t appeal to me.
Muzycznie może i ciekawe, szczególnie linia basu, ale ogólnie męczące. Teksty może i dobre, ale to trzeba czuć, a ja tego nie czuję
Great bass, guitar rifts, and drums. Not the biggest fan of the vocals, but no terrible.
Loud throwback to a fantastic. Christmas number one 3
If an album were to be judged entirely on energy, conviction and confrontational artwork then this is up there with the best. A lot of my guitar playing students 20 years ago saw this as the holy grail of riff practice. Metal for rappers with some funky riffs in there. A lot of shouting as well which, for me, struggles to sustain a 50 minute listening experience. Very 1990s
This album starts off extremely well. Bombtrack is good and Killing in the Name is a classic protest song whose repetitive vocals really suits the visceral anger. However, musically, this album is pretty one note. Over it's 50+ minute run time it becomes quite wearing to keep listening to the very samey music with shouted/screamed vocals. This kind of music would be much more appealing if it was a 35 minute album of 2-3 minute songs. By about halfway through, I just wanted it to be over, especially as by far the best songs were the opening 2 tracks. Politics 5/5, music, just about 3/5 and that's only because of Killing in the Name being great.
Good album. They sound mad about shit. 5/10 70.71%
5/10 My feelings towards this album are a bit conflicted. I love political music, and this RATM is very vocal about their politics here. The music itself is quite strong. But I don't really like the repetition of lyrics and the screaming vocals. This is yet another album where I'm left wondering how to rate something that is objectively good but I don't actually enjoy.
Variety: 1 Adequacy: 4 Listenability: 4 Uniqueness: 4 Emotionality: 4 = 3.4 rounded down to a 3 “Woop-woop! That's the sound of da beast” I remember this album being pretty mind blowing when I first heard it. It sounded like nothing else to my ears. I think maybe the only Faith No More I’d heard was “Epic” at this point. And the Chili Peppers were already well into their softer more melodic era by this point. A middle school friend had the uncensored version and it was clear this was going to be some heavy shit just based on the cover. It was probably the first album I actively took in any political message from. Maybe aside form the various big charity songs of the 80s. This was different though in that it felt dangerous. I think the recent few years have shown that the band still has relevance and I'm fully expecting this to hold up light years better than a lot of its contemporaries THE TRACKS "Bombtrack" - Right out of the gate we get that familiar mix of funk, hard rock, and furious messaging. Very solid opener. "Killing in the Name" - This one still gets a lot of radio play. A LOT. I hear it several times a week on satellite radio. And it has lost none of it's effect. I'm guessing it may have blown up again partly in response to the rise of fascism in the U.S. I’ve definitely seen it used in at least one hugely viral video ( thank you for your service Portland Freedom Frog). “Some of those that work forces/ Are the same that burn crosses” unfortunately is still a very topical lyric. Zack de la Rocha’s vocals and Tom Morello’s unique guitar work have never sounded so inspirational. That last minute. Damn... "Take the Power Back" - Leaning heavier into the funk here. Zack de la Rocha’s spoken word delivery is one of the few times I’ll make an exception to that sort of thing, and he’s fine here. This just felt too mellow for me. And that’s really only i comparison to everything around it. Also not a fan of the more traditional guitar part around 2:44. Possibly the thing that ages this the most. "Settle for Nothing" - Quiet opening of this is the grungiest they get I think. The beginner’s poetry slam stylings quickly dissipate though and we get thrown into a HEAVY section before fiving back in to the morose, Musically there’s an echo of Slint. When it gets loud though de la Rocha’s voice get’s ragged. We get some more post-rock beats, and Morello noodling. I’m torn on this. I dig the contrast, but the content not so much. Rage is known more for in your face effective lyrics as opposed to anything deep, but this feels a bit shallow. "Bullet in the Head" - Weird one here full of squealing guitar affects, and some we get led down some almost Primus-y paths. All this serves more to distract from the message I think rather than to highlight it. Unconventional guitar work I’m fine with, but this is just a little goofy. The section from 3:10 on though... that’s what we came for. C+ turns into an A+ by the end. "Know Your Enemy" - Another slow start but it gets into the groove way faster than the last one, and stays on target for the duration. De la Rocha at his most fluid here I think. Some rare backing vocals, provided by one Maynard James Kennan ( who I would not be familiar with for another year maybe?). "Wake Up" - I guess Morello is a Zeppelin fan. Another solid number. But they’ve done it way better, many other times. "Fistful of Steel" - Getting some Helmet or even Tool vibes here from the guitar in the opening, but then Morello Morello’s it up and turns his piece into a siren briefly before chug-chugging back into that awesome heavy sound. The contrast works wonders here, and de la Rocha gets into a more sing songy flow. "Township Rebellion" - Another good but not great track. This one makes me wonder what a de la Rocha rap album would have sounded like as gets into nice flow here. It doesn’t last though. And then we get a weirdly conventional guitar bit just before the halfway point that feels teleported in from some other, lamer group. This one changes speed one too many times and feels like a Frankenstein of a track. "Freedom" - What a closer. Rightfully feels like a sum of everything we’ve heard before it. They eve give Pearl Jam a run for their money with some layered guitars that any arena rock band would have been proud of. This is the song I think of when I think of de la Rocha’s, and the band’s intensity. That last minute + is pure gold. HIGHLIGHTS - "Bombtrack" - "Killing in the Name" - "Know Your Enemy" - "Fistful of Steel" - "Freedom" MIDLIGHTS - "Take the Power Back" - "Settle for Nothing" - "Bullet in the Head" - "Wake Up" - "Township Rebellion" LOWLIGHTS FINAL THOUGHTS As much as I like Rage as an entity, and dig their messaging, musically I’ll always consider them a singles band. A VERY strong singles band. But I think over their handful of albums I could pick and choose to make a killer compilation. Still, even the worst material here is very listenable and feels cohesive as all get out. In fact, I bet if you mixed all their albums together, most people would not notice anything out of sorts. They are also a band I have to be in a certain mood to listen to. One does not casually throw on a Rage album to listen to as background noise while doing some paperwork or getting some cleaning done. Or maybe some do. Just not me. More than anything, Rage is one of the more reliable bands from this era. We’ll see if more of their stuff pops up on the list, but I would be very surprised if any track form them ended up in the lowlights. My only other complaint here, other than some sameyness that creeps in, is that the production feels far too polished in parts. PLAYLIST ALTERATIONS - Just scrape those highlights off and mix them in with the ones from the next two albums FURTHER LISTENING - The Real Thing by Faith No More - One Hot Minute by Red Hot Chili Peppers - Undertow - by Tool - Toxicity by System of a Down - Meantime by Helmet
This is one of those albums I can appreciate for how good it is, but I don’t think it’s for me. Guitar, bass and drums sound amazing - the vocal style is just not for me (although I find the lyrics very interesting and thought provoking)
Had been a while since I had really listened and ironically listened to it on the way to hear Tom Morello play with Springsteen last night. A lot of anger that feels very close to home right now.
Raging against bill Clinton? Oh buddy, you don’t know how good you had it. These songs are more relevant now than ever. But I fucking hate the squeaky guitar. You lose a star for that shit.
The self-titled debut by Rage Against the Machine often feels like a blueprint for what would later be labeled nu metal, blending heavy riffs with rap-influenced vocals and a strong rhythmic drive. The band sounds focused and powerful, with a clear identity from the very start. At the same time, the relentless intensity can become tiring over the course of the album. The lack of variation makes it harder to stay fully engaged, even if the individual tracks are effective on their own.
Clearly some songs are classics. I can understand why some critics have this in their top 100. But, this is not something I can see myself reaching for.
Was alright despite being very american
The sound just how I imagined them to sound
Not bad
Rap with heavy metal
kinda like them, but expected more i guess? Killing in the name and wake up are very fun
Completely unique sound. A protest album for the ages.
Public Enemy for angsty white teens
I'm sorry but Zack De La Rocha's scream rapping will always just be silly to me
I really liked the message throughout this album and I love the guitar and lyrics specifically. I just think the album is kind of repetitive but that might just be the point.
Hell yeah! Fuck capitalism!
If you'd asked me before, I would have said I know a few RATM tracks, but I was surprised to discover I'm not familiar with any of them! I guess I've just heard the name before, as I didn't realize they had a Bestie Boys vibe.
jsp c un peu trop en mode hard rockkkkkk ça se voit les mecs ils écoutent ça ils se sentent trop rebelle crazyyy
Every song was the same. Stand-outs - Killing In the Name - Know Your Enemy
I’m not moved emotionally by this
was only familiar with couple tracks. overall enjoyed the sound, but felt like the screaming & overkill with repeated refrains diminished album. and the irony of Rage pushing back against everything back in the day but now cashing in is not lost on me. 3.5 stars
My high school band played both Bombtrack (poorly once then never again) and Killing in the Name Of (smashingly and repeatedly), and yet those are the only songs that are all that familiar from this album, and maybe the only ones you need. I do love me some Tom Morello, he played with Springsteen last night and laid down one of the deadliest guitar solos I've ever seen live on Ghost of Tom Joad.
я не знала, что они реп эгейнт зе машин; слушать это очень сложно, горло разрывает (такие бисти бойз но очень злые)
Great melodies and nice rebellious vibe, however a bit repetitive.
I don't really have an opinion on this album it is not bad but I don't think it is best album
Chunky and heavy, but hard to take them seriously when Morello sells $2000 guitars made with underpaid labor and Zach sits on his 30 million like a dragon. "I'm Tom Morello and this is my masterclass."
Rap-rock can be a tough hang but the way Rage did it by bringing in Public Enemy-style production and lyrics and mixing in some heavy funk makes this collection worthy of appearing on the 1001 Albums list.
What can I say about this band. My first reaction is that I mostly just associate them with moshpit dickheads, which isn't fair. And this hardcore funk-metal-rap sound is just kind of douchey. But you know...these guys are intense...they are doing their thing at 1000%, they have strong opinions about the state of things and they don't back down and I respect all of that. And it's catchy. It definitely gets my attention. There's no way I would have ever been into them back in the day, but I can listen to it now.
I was at the peak of my punk snobbery when RATM blew up, and I found them cheesy back in those days. I appreciate them more decades later. If I found their sloganeering kinda obvious back then, I respect that it blew and opened minds at the time. And their fusion of metal, funk, and hip-hop was waaaaaay better than the bro-y nü metal dreck that would follow years later. Musically this is repetitious and doesn't do a ton for me—"Killing in the Name" is solid, as is "Wake Up"—but there's no denying Tom Morello is a great guitarist, Zack de la Rocha is a fierce presence, and all the RATM components work well together.
С первых секунд Bombtrack группа задаёт темп — упругий бас Тима Коммерфорда, сухие, механистичные барабаны Брэда Уилка и гитара Тома Морелло, которая звучит как индустриальный станок, искрящийся от перегрузки. Killing in the Name стал главным хитом — гимном ярости против институционального насилия, с финальным повтором, который до сих пор разрывает стадионы. В Bullet in the Head и Wake Up коллектив разворачивает полноценную лекцию по медиа-манипуляции и классовой борьбе, но без морализаторства — только фактура и напор. Продакшн Брендана О’Брайена минималистичен и сух: никаких лишних слоёв, всё построено на ритме и атаке. Морелло превращает гитару в синтезатор шума — скретчи, фидбэк, переключение звукоснимателей как перкуссия. Зак де ла Роча читает не как рэпер, а как агитатор на баррикаде. Этот альбом — точка отсчёта для рэп-метала и альтернативного метала 90-х. Без него не было бы ни волны ню-метала, ни саундтрека к эпохе разочарования в системе. Это музыка протеста, зафиксированная в идеально выверенном груве.
from what i already knew (take the power back) i was expecting that kind of feel more, so maybe that's throwing the rating a little, but it wasn't super good
the machine raged a bit
Ótimo. Pesado o tempo todo e, ainda, equilibrado.
not for me I don't like the singer very much and I prefer songs with more variation in the beat I think? just not for me but its a good album im sure
Political angry beastie boys. I ain't a part of your system, happy birthday to the ground! Slavery for wages is real tho
That bass gives me headache. Seriously, that’s..that’s just too much, exaggeration, in-your-faceness and whatnot. I respect the attitude though.
hell yeah, brother 🤙 great noise and energy. Killing In The Name stood out.
3.5
Bueno este es un 3.59/5 empezó muy bien ,tiene un gran mensaje y los instrumentos suenan asombroso. Pero a medida que el álbum transcurre los ritmos al menos melódicos de la voz del vocalista recaen un poco en lo mismo. Mi canción favorita sin duda es Bombtrack.
A very timely listen for today’s climate. Musically this album is a powerful house of hard driving sounds. Dynamic, unpredictable. Lyrically, ahead of its time, and sadly probably more relevant today. Politically/Socially: see above. But vocally, this is where my rating falls. Hearing one offs like Killing In The Name Of, as well as others over the years…allowed for more intake and understanding of what the message was. But listening from top to bottom, I found myself being more annoyed at the monotone scream style delivery itself, rather than hearing the intended messages within. It ends up having a homogenizing effect on all the songs. My raging fist is still raised, just not as high. 3.5/5.
I used to think my problem with metal was the vocals, but this is the album that made me realize that it just wasn't for me. Maybe one day/5
Great US rock/punk album
I don't care about RATM and I think this album is very dated, but I respect what they represented coming up in the early 90s. Innovative blend of 70s riff rock (Led Zep, Deep Purple and Hendrix come to mind) with angry political rap. Angry and poignant. It deserves to be on this list because of what brought about back them. People on the comments insist on evaluating only based on their personal taste. Broaden your vocabulary and musical analysis, wasters. You need to be able to evaluate something outside of your personal taste. Rant over. RATM style.
This is a must listen if you’re listening to 1000 albums. But on the overall it was ok, it’s crazy how ahead they were sonically but also I find it interesting that this was the style that would be in fashion for the mainstream of the 2000’s (stripped of revolutionary potential ofc) necessary early 90s listening fs fs. Personally not my cup of tea tho, but killing in the name of will never not be hype
Uma associação de som pesado/ barulhento com vocais de Hip Hop tem pouca chance de me agradar. A faixa mais bacana é a que começa como um cover de Led Zeppelin: "Wake Up".
Fuck you I won't do what they told me
Heb ik altijd al leuk gevonden
good definitly polliyical
When Rage Against the Machine dropped their debut in ’92, it sounded like a Molotov cocktail lobbed into a grunge-dominated landscape—years before nu-metal would dilute the rap-rock formula with frat-boy bluster and tuneless angst. This record has the blueprint but none of the embarrassing aftertaste: just militant grooves, razor-wire riffs, and Zack de la Rocha’s focused fury. “Bombtrack” explodes out of the gate on a sinuous bassline before Tom Morello starts bending his guitar into alien transmissions; “Killing in the Name” is the era’s ultimate slow-burn rebellion anthem, all coiled tension and cathartic release; and “Fistful of Steel” dips into a dense, Bomb Squad-esque clang that fuses metal heft with hip-hop atmosphere. Some riffs ride the groove a little too long, but the sheer conviction and innovation still hit hard—three decades later, it feels less like a relic and more like a warning shot.
Interesante la letra, me resulta muy ruidoso para mí gusto
The drive and outrage of these songs gives them a real power even as they start to blend together for me. They also make me reflect on how uncomfortable I am with anger still. It's music I don't want to write off for that reason, but also not stuff I want to immerse in much.
Good
Not as bad as expe, it was actually pretty good. Some genuinely good songs but it does get a bit samey at points.
I like more of the beats than the actual singing. Township Rebellion guitar solo so good. I feel like this style of music is just not my vibe. 6/10
Solid guitar, easy to headbang to, really got my heartbeat going. This didn't resonate deeply with me, nor was I blown away, but I had a decent time.
I dislike the whole rap metal/rock genre, but ratm is pretty tolerable. 6/10 Favourite track: Bullet In Your Head
I’m not someone to criticize music for being explicit. In fact, I am a huge fan of rap and hip hop, and artists like Eminem and Kendrick Lamar regularly dominate my “Top Artist” lists on Spotify. However, the swearing in this album was just so… lame. In fact, a lot of the lyrics just didn’t sound at all tough. That said, I really like the drums and guitar, with some pretty cool riffs and solos. I just wish that the singing and lyrics were better, and this could’ve been a 4 or a 5.
Pretty neat album. Definitely had great energy to it, and I liked that it was so political and all that. Wasn't a huge fan of the musical element, and I'm generally not a huge fan of Punk, but this was overall pretty good. Reminded me a bit of Public Enemy. Favorite Track: Killing in the Name
Ya classic Rage songs. I feel like I liked this music a lot more when I was younger but it's too much now.
Day 1
General thoughts: Rap metal is one of those genres I haven't been able to click with. Sounds cringy, it's repetitive musically and lyrically. Structurally, the songs may have some cool tricks, but when you hear them on every song, it’s just tiring, e.g., slowing down, voice goes quiet gradually, then boom, an explosion of energy. Cool, once or twice. Tempo is almost intact in all songs. The rhythm and the pace of the main riff blended with the rapping, I swear I can hear myself thinking "Killing in the name for" in every track, because it's like all songs are variations of a couple of base songs. Instrumentally, the riffs are cool, the solos are really good, and they always elevate the songs. The guitar tone was outstanding, almost electronic. All other instruments just fall behind. The singer, this guy had such an obnoxious voice, I could almost feel his fucking spit on my face. Tied along with the "I'm in pain, I'm angry, boo boo" lyrics, made me kinda hate him. Like, yeah, I get you're angry, but what else do you have? Show me something you haven't sung dozens of times before. Same thing with the social commentary. I mean, it's a mood, but it's very narrow, tunneled - a good album should be able to cover more than one emotion/topic. The album is somewhat conceptual, with songs revolving around anti-establishment, anti-propaganda, make-noise. Outstanding song(s): Bombtrack, Killing in the name of Weakest song(s): Wake up, Take the power back Cover: A photo of the famous self-immolating monk during the 1960s Buddhist repression in Vietnam. A symbol of protest. Rage against the machine, though both scenarios don't envision the same kind of response... They say 'Anger is a gift', but is there more to it? I have mixed feelings too here, but it makes you think about it, which is a good sign. Real rating: 3.1
Some great, some less great.
Only got part way through, I’ll circle back
It's ok, bit long and same-y
I have listened to this, not my personal favorite genre or type of music but I could still enjoy it and understand the appeal
It sucked, sorry.
más agradable de lo que pensaba que iba a ser para lo que son mis gustos de princesa chicle, me ha devuelto a mis raíces
It is very hard not to think of "Get up those stairs and tidy your room" as what prompts the "Fuck you etc" refrain in Killing In The Name. But also nice to remember it getting to Christmas number one at the expense of yet another X Factor contestant.
6/10 not my thing but still very enjoyable
I will never understand why this band blew up compared to some of the hardcore bands around at the same time. It's not bad, but nothing special as far as I am concerned.
I've always appreciated the importance of this album and I know that its good but I just don't think its for me. There's a level of irony about this album being released by Sony as well. I'd love to give this album 3.5/5 or a 7/10 but I need to round it and the coin flip came up tails so its a 3. Playlist track: Know Your Enemy
ouah ct vener la team
10 songs that rock but all sound the same with the same lyrical story
Im dtill not a big fan or hard rock or metal but i enjoyed the songs with more of a punk rythym
Can't listen to them the same after knowing they've sold out to The Man. No relief from the headbanging so in that sense it's a consistent album
A very politically charged, angry album. It's hard for me to imagine myself listening casually, but it doesn't change the fact that this album is so poignant and timeless. The instrumental work, like Tom Morello's guitar, really stands out to me. Listened once
Fistful of Steel was probably my favorite Again, not really my vibe and don't believe I'd have listened to otherwise...but glad I did I also realize that I'm less lyrical in a lot of ways, I did not really internalize many lyrics...I want to work on this!
my throat kinda hurt by the end of this album #empath this came out two days after my bday (8 years before i existed) but i will give them a point for this this isn’t rly a style of music i gravitate to, cld see it being fun if i was a more angry individual, tho i do like the messages behind a lot of the songs, take the power back afff i feel like its part of the whole thing they have going on, but idk if i rly like how the instrumentals kinda drown out the vocals, that said i do think the instrumentals r probs my fave part of the album if they had an instrumentals only version i lowkey think i wld listen to that i feel a need to draw attention to the fact that i did not get them in spotle last week so this feels personal i found for a few of the songs i was like ok yeah i kinda get it, this is fun then they wld rly up the scream for the last minute or so and they wld lose me
Really amazing sound; i love their guitar solos; i'm just not a fan of they logic between some lyrics but, it' a great and enjoyable album
I remember listening to them in middle school an playing some of the easier parts on guitar. From the band name onwards it seems that anger is the main and only emotion of the album, a feeling only partly interrupted by Tom Morello's masterful solos. 3 1/2 stars
Frig off, I’m not going to adhere to your requests!
I liked everything individually, unfortunately I didn't like this as a whole as much as I thought I would
355/1089 - Initially it was fun and sludgy and energetic but once I started paying attention to the music some more I found it pretty dull and derivative. One blues riff after another blues riff and some Drop D to spice things up. Let's throw in a 8 bar crescendo where we repeat the same thing over and over and never actually develop any ideas! Also let's play the same song 5 times with different lyrics on top of it and different blues/pentatonic riffs but with the exact same structure as listed up above. This is one of the few times where I wish I could put a 2.5 instead of a 3.
very angry, very loud favourite track - wake up I love the bang on the nose no metaphor sort of lyricism. It's brilliant at conveying political messages in a straightforward no bullshit manner, the perfect antithesis to the jargon and buzzwords thrown around so often in all honesty all the songs sounded rather 'same-y' to me, I would imagine I would struggle to differentiate them
3.5
a mi parecer no varía bastante, no es malo simplemente no lo que más me guste
starting off with a bomb literally. not something that i ever listened or would listen to. appreciate the guitars tho. i guess the lyrics are deep, i just didn't really want to listen to them.
I fw it more than I thought I would. Obv it’s very metal and the lyrics are still really applicable. Pumped me up in the morning, totally was not expecting to get this one first thing in the morning. Enjoyed it but prob wouldn’t reach for this day to day.
Liked very much.
it was ok
un grido alla ribellione e alla libertà: testi crudi e potenti, si sente la rabbia e la passione tipiche del movimento punk. linee di basso memorabili e sempre nuove, assoli di chitarra freschi e innovativi, monotona la parte vocale
Rap metal/rap rock is not my thing usually but this albums works even it borders on corny (as the previous user who reviewed it wrote). The lyrics are teenage level dumb, but this is a good album to let out anger and frustration. The sound stood the test of time, it doesn't sound dated. However, it's about 10-15 minutes too long. Overall an average 3 star.
A big, rightfully angry start to the year. I've never liked Rage (Morello's voice, not the music), so a somewhat challenging start too. At ~53 minutes, easy enough to give it a full listen. T2 (Killing In The Name): It's a classic, but I still think let down by the vocals. That said, what structure, what dynamic range, what a fucking anthem. Later - some real jazzy moments (still not my thing, but can appreciate the complexity here). The bass! T7: Goddamn, this is a lot. I like it, objectively, but I'm tired. Stop shouting at me. T8: That siren noise is making me want this to be over sooner. T10: It's good, it's smart, but all of that doesn't make me want this to be over any less.
yea we know you’re against the system, at least the music was good
borders on corny but it works
Es ist Ok, ich habe es mal gespeicher
mochte die erste hälfte sehr danach eher nicht so wurde mir wahrscheinlich zu repetetiv :(
Oh...
I like the message but sonically a little too hardcore for me lol
meh
6/10
Lyrics are interesting and insightful. Definitely want to research more. Reminds me of Beastie Boys but more aggressive. Enjoyed but for very specific feelings/situations.
I feel like i should like this a lot more for the political messages but the vocals dont do it for me great riffs though
every moment his messages become more and more relevant
we all know its a classic. cmon, its rage against the machine. just one problem for me, it feels to repetitive. every melody, every lyric, every composition. it all feels like a repeat to me. legit took me 15 minutes to realize a song had even passed. it feels like the kind of rock that you would see in a political young adult movie. yes its powerful, but i feels flat. amazing start, not such an amazing continuation. no one can deny its a classic though, still a type of genius in itsself
Helen did not like it, but it was fine
I loved "Stolen Cars" and "Stars All Seem to Weep." Enjoyable album overall but a bit glum.
Don’t know a lot about Rage against the machine, but good first impression. Big fan of their guitar parts, very energetic instrumentals. Not the style of music I listen to the most but they remind me a lot of Limp Bizkit. Solid album, but some of the more experimental sounding parts aren’t for me. 2.5/5
Riff-heavy, guitar really seems to be the focus of this album. Has a real 90s feel. 1 listen, 3 stars
not really my style but i still liked a few songs
RIP Joe McElderry’s music career
Killing in the name is good. I'm not much into rock but it was an interesting listen.
Great music, great lyrics. Very relevant to the socio-political odiern state of our world. Unfortunately I don't like rap and hip hop's rhythm. I will not listen to this again but its relevance and quality are undenaible. I will for sure reccomend it to my friends.
Sonoridade bastante diferente, muita spoken words, e fala bastante dos problemas da sociedade e da guerra.
A very solid album with catchy riffs and lots of attitude. Even though I'm not sure if it should be on this list, it is a very good album all ground.
Cool album cover and if I was in a different mood I would have enjoyed this album more
Maybe it’s a good álbum, but not my genre
Not bad, I like Zach's rapping style, and the electric guitar solos. But there's too much distortion for me. I understand the appeal, but I wouldn't fight for listening to it again. 2,8/5.
ok, não sou mt desse rock tho
I've heard 'Killing in the name of' many times in my life not liking it. Eventually though it grew on me and I can't help at least nodding along when it plays now. This album doesn't sound great to me now, I find there is too much screaming on vocals and guitar and the songs all sound very similar to me. Who knows though, maybe I'll start liking it more if I hear it more often. For now I'll give it 3 stars but maybe more later
loud
Solid Rock, for my taste a little bit too much rap inside. therefore only 3
Album review 010 Rage Against the Machine by Rage Against the Machine (1992) Rating 3.5/5 The 1001 Album Generator dealt me It Takes a Nation of Millions… by Public Enemy for my 9th album and followed it up with RATM for #10, I mention this as found so much similarity between them despite the difference in style. A call to arms for social justice over heavy riffs, Rage Against the Machine does exactly what it promises. (Got this on cassette when I was 13 and leant it to a mate, never got it back)
amazing group, not many good songs
A cultural touchstone that I cant see myself ever listening to again.
The pinnacle of rap-rock is still a low peak.
Interesting way to start the day!
3.0 RYM
Really dumb lyrics, great example of teenager logic hehe, good baselines
Theres some very obvious classic bangers here, which stand the test of time, however I'm not sure the whole album holds up. Strong lyrically and very politically motivated, which does stand the test of time, especially in 2025,the beat/bouncy backing noise just doesnt
Not my usual jam but can’t help and bounce to some of these songs. Can get repetitive at times but then it’ll switch into some sound you never heard before.
just not into them l8ke I used to be 3/5
I liked this album a lot less as a whole than just listening to the hits of Rage that I knew from the album or Bulls on Parade. The highlights for me are Tom Morello's guitar, which are just awesome. The wailing sound that he achieves is so good. I think the reason I didn't like the album as a whole as much as I expected to is because the non-hits feel like they mailed in the music a bit just in service of the lyrics they wanted, where some thing like Killing in the Name is more put together
Not a fan per se but not a horrible listen
A very recognisable sound. A good few well known songs. But it's a bit too preachy and doesn't really mix it up
Especially printers.
A classic, still a solid album.
Rage Against The Machine seems to be quite a spectacular meeting ground of 3 genres, Punk, Hip Hop, and Metal. While it teeters the line of being Nu-Metal, I feel Rage has enough personality, meaning, and sense of pure unapologetic anger that feels authentic and genuine over 30 years later. This project is very perplexing because it by no means should have had any Pop appeal and yet this album has acclaimed the rare feat of having a song with over 1 billion streams. This project was a cultural shift in a decade where it seems like just about every essential album of nearly every genre was coming out, and yet this project still stands out as one of the most iconic pieces of its' time. Personally I have never been crazy about this project, even with me owning it in my own personal collection, but I can still appreciate just how much it is going for while still being this group's debut album. It is nothing short of courageous and bold as Zach and the rest of his band put on one hell of a show in sounding the alarms of society in warning everyone of the current state of the world in such a way where it is extremely relevant in the grand year of 2025. This album is freedom of speech and quite creative and impactful usage of wording at its' finest. Even if the music may not hit for yourself, the meaning behind every note of this project can still leave quite a mark.
Funny how technical skill, middle school political analysis, and volume (plus a Harvard degree) don't necessarily add up to interesting songs. Big meh from me.
Good album by all means - I'm just not that angry any more!
The pros on this one are the exceptional musicianship, really good riffs and structure. The cons are that the lyrics are sometimes a bit righteous and it influenced Limp Bizkit.
There are undeniably some big tracks on here. I’d say half the album is good half is bad, the less said about Tom Morello the better though. Best track: Bullet in the head
Good album.
not bad! i like the rock/rap fusion
Meh 😅
Good vibes. Sometimes the voice reminds me of Andy Samberg in Threw it on the Ground though
Solid album, and overall a good listen. A little bit repetitive at times, but overall, I enjoyed listening, and I think now more than ever some of the lyricism is especially meaningful.
De la Rocha has always been the weak link of the band for me (as in, I don't love his vocals; lyrically, I'm all on board), and there are times when he gets to be a bit much on this record, but there are enough standout tracks ("Killing in the Name", "Know Your Enemy", "Wake Up") and killer musical moments to get it over the 3.5-star hump. I imagine I'd probably be a little higher on *Evil Empire* and *The Battle of Los Angeles*. 3.5/5
No private session used for this one. A perfect album for these times, though I did have to wait until the afternoon to listen to it. I can be a pretty angry man, especially with what is going on with the country's plummet into fascism, but even for me this was bit much.
Good classic grunge/rock. This album is AGGRESSIVE. Sometimes it tends to be repetitive and sound all similar, but good overall. Tom Morello's solos are so fun and original! Actual rating...3.5. Liked Songs: "Bombtrack" , "Killing In the Name" , "Take the Power Back" , "Know Your Enemy" , "Wake Up" , "Freedom"
liked songs: Killing in the Name, Wake Up 3.25
I know this album more by reputation than actively listening, and of course I know Killing in the Name. This is my first proper listen, and it’s like an over-wrought teenage rebellion. There is lots of repetition in there, and I suspect the subtlety of their argument was lost among the swearing for some young listeners. Rage’s manifesto is well set out, front of shop from the offset, but the message is drowned by their Faith No More “Nu Metal” vibe. The power is in the lyrics, not the chugging guitars or thundering bass. I’m not a huge fan of the style of the music, and I probably won’t listen to this again, but this deserves its place as something you must hear before you die. Even if it did inspire apathetic teenagers to buy band t-shirts to feed the very machine against which they raged.
Didnt listen thoroughly tbh. Not a huge rage fan but this is definitely like a more appropriate/palatable fruition of the rap-rock-funk genre than RHCP’s take. ThoughI can’t say Rage’s mission of social awareness really aged well - time has proven that what most fans latched on to weren’t so much the detailed political expressions but more just anti-establishment angst and anger. Probably much to the band’s chagrin.
Tedious fun
Love the energy. The aggression is a bit much when you listen to the full album in one go, but it's kind of cathartic. Killing in the Name is just a great song
Not as good as The Battle of Los Angeles. A lot of the songs are too screamy for me. Killing in the Name, Wake Up, and Renegades of Funk, and Testify are all great.
i love rage and i dont mean RATM i just love rage the emotion this is like sabotage by fucking beastie boys innit
Solid stuff. A bit repetitive but still aggressive enough to like.
Pretty good, a bit long and a bit loud
I raged against a machine once..... It was a printer
- if you don't find your head bobbing of its own accord during the first track, do you even have ears - the syncopated guitar riffs sound almost like gunfire when combined with those heavy cymbal crashes, which is a cool (and probably purposeful) effect considering how frequently gun violence is in their songs - (do you think they eventually ran out of rage, performing these same songs over and over again each night on tour?) - Tool hadn't released Undertow yet at the time Maynard James Keenan was featured on "Know Your Enemy," so I wonder what the story is behind that - RATM is one of those bands that basically pioneered a new genre (nu metal), but its influence has spread to so many other groups and projects that it's hard for me to not view this album as being derivative of... itself, even though it's essentially the source material. so many people make fun of similar bands like Disturbed or System of a Down ("wake up! asjflskjflkajf-makeup!"), so the serious messaging has become a bit laughable with the meme-ification of those artists and songs online. trolling wasn't a thing in 1992, at least not as we know it today, and I wonder if a sincere effort condemning violence and war today would either take off and become a rallying cry... or if it would quickly get dissected into soundbites taken out of context and made fun of on apps like TikTok - the political environment is also much different when this originally came out in 1992 (prior to widespread internet use and social media, which has fundamentally changed how we receive news and view/interact with politics), so I wonder what today's equivalent of Rage Against the Machine would be ("Set Fire To The Twitter Servers," maybe?) - "hatred passed on, and passed on, and passed on" from the fourth track was a line that stuck with me when I heard it. I really appreciate how repetition is used as a tool to escalate both the sense of urgency and seriousness of the subject matter. the instrumentation on each track complements the lyrics and gives them a space to flourish -- it's still clear that the thing listeners should be primarily be focusing on is the singer's voice and words, despite the presence of that growling bass tone and lots of interval-jumping in the hooks doing their thing in the background - my world wasn't rocked, but I could see how this would be a very powerful album for the right (left?) people at a time when a lot of uncertain stuff was going on (the Gulf War, LA riots, maybe even the approach of the millennium etc. -- I wasn't there so you tell me). even though the subject matter is mostly evergreen, a lot of it still feels tied to that specific time in history and the concerns and injustices people felt and witnessed
6 Defo keen on some elements of this but it doesn’t all come together in a way that I like rlly
A lot more 90s punk sounding than I was expecting, which is not a bad thing. Definitely just political statements with a backing track to justify it as music. The bass went crazy so I can't say I don't like it, but I certainly don't love it.
Very ragey. Lots of heavy guitar riff and that steady bash groove drumming and rhythmic scream shouting vocals. When I was a 15 year old steroid jacked white suburban rebel (umm, no), this would have been just the ticket. Now, I liked the first, then second, but diminishing returns. Too long and one formula.
Great music, but lyrics - post punk shite
Not my style, but I get why it's here. Interesting experience listening to it
Yesterday, I had Rid of Me by PJ Harvey, which was my formative teenage 'yeah, fuck the lot of you!' album. RATM was clearly that album for a lot of people around my age, so I completely understand the love for it in the reviews. For me though, while I was amped up for the first few tracks, it eventually got a bit wearying.
I don't LOVE RATM. I like this record and I like what they do. I LOVE Morello's playing, but not the fusion of "things" - the poltics, the rap, the mentality. I like the music. I don't HATE the poltics. I just don't love it.
Good. More progressive times, angry but clear on political stance, if it’s time but also still resonates.
Loved the instrumentals, but the lyrics aren't connecting with me. This came from an era of rebellion through music. Even back then, I didn't notice the lyrics and focused on the instrumentals. If there was an album with just the instrumentals, I'd love that, but unfortunately this album isn't that.
What a potent concoction. Strident and loud throughout. Impressive in its own way.
I liked the instrumentals in this album but I wish it was more singing than rapping.
I really don’t like metal music so purely because it surprised me and was listenable I’ll give it a 3
Overrated
I don't know. All a bit shouty, thrashy and futile for me. Can imagine this has inspired more gobby, spiky haired shits to refuse to clean their bedroom than to engage in making the world a better place. Can't help jumping around to some bits though.
It’s a little too on the nose for me right now
I like the idea of Rage and do find them somewhat respectable in their consistency. But I also have a hard time with them musically. I like a few songs, but when it’s a whole record I kind of remember how it can be grating.
🤘
An iconic and important piece of art, but I found myself getting bored towards the back half of the album
its okay
I had no idea this album was so old?! I always associate Rage Against the Machine with the early 00s. I really needed to hear an album like this in the politically cursed year of 2025. I love all the unashamed activism and calling out of very specific injustices. Great music for workout, protest, crashout, etc. Iconic sound, but the songs get pretty repetitive. Mainly walking away with: "Why stand on a silent platform? Fight the war, fuck the norm." and "Mindset is a threat".
Powerful but gets awfully monotonous after three songs or so. Glad it was included
Kinda enjoyed it too ?? Tho I wasn’t really in the mood for this type of music but I’ll try listening to it again one day
Some great tracks when in the mood
I like what they’re going for, but sonically this isn’t my favorite sound
Something something teenage angst. I remember really liking Rage Against the Machine when I was a young boy but I didn’t really enjoy this one too much. 2.8/5
3.5ish? Not my kind of metal but a very good band regardless.
Good for those moments of angst but not as great as I remember.
Very high-energy. Some tracks had a bit too much screaming for me, but I liked the music.
Definitely the timing was right for this band but really only 1 hit from this album. They want anarchy but do they understand the new system will probably end up then same as it is now over time?
A few bangers, a bit shouty.
Had to really talk myself into listening to this - only because I know killing in the name of love 😂 Mike claims to LOVE them. What on earth? Not as bad as expected but only made it through 2 songs.
Ein Werk mit roher Energie und politischem Anspruch verliert oft an Balance. Die Direktheit der Texte und die aggressiven musikalischen Elemente wirken stellenweise zu dominant und lassen wenig Raum für Zwischentöne oder musikalische Nuancen. Trotz seiner Bedeutung bleibt das Album für mich zu ungestüm und eindimensional.
Good for punk mental or whatever genre this is, but was a bit too anxious of an album.
I used to lump Rage Against the Machine in with Red Hot Chili Peppers, without giving either too much thought. A kind of automatic reaction. A twitch. Men in singlets, shouting things. Swagger, mostly. Not much subtlety. Maybe I saw nu-metal coming and thought: best to get my excuses in early. Morello, like Frusciante, is an able technician with a fetish for the single note: stretched, compressed, throttled, filtered through devices. Anything but shredding. Fine. Neither Zack de la Rocha nor Anthony Kiedis could be called rappers, but they certainly aren't singers. They're frontmen with sixth-form lyrical fixations. De la Rocha may pen juvenilia, but it's still preferable to Kiedis pining for actual juveniles. It's tempting (briefly) to admire the confrontational directness of “Fuck you, I won’t do what you tell me.” But it is the same market-tested disobedience as “They say jump, you say how high?”, only reversed. The whole album is full of such balloon-light, impractical sentiment. Rebelliousness rather than rebellion. I wish I could name the rhythm section in Rage Against the Machine. I can’t, not without looking it up. But I can tell you this: I’ve never heard a Chili Peppers song that made me nod along like this. Not once. They are genuinely groovy, something the Chili Peppers never achieve. Rage grooves are simple and dependable, grounding the songs so de la Rocha can jump up and down and Morello can whammy pedal three notes into outer space. The bassist, apparently, believes the moon landing was faked. He once confronted Buzz Aldrin. Actually squared up to him. Which, in a strange way, makes perfect sense. If you’re going to rage against the machine, why stop at NASA? But it doesn't show in his playing. Rather, a moon denier, he - and the drummer - keep their feet on the ground. This allows his frontman and guitarist to lose the run of themselves altogether. They are the foundation. The others are the ornament. They are the machine. The other two are the rage. 3 ‘Bring that shit in, UGH’ A while back fortune favoured us with a brace of Beastie Boys albums including their misunderstood debut. They weren’t really frat arseholes you see; it was satire and the evidence was in the details. The DETAILS people! Go back and read our lyrics carefully - our tongues were in our cheeks; we are clever goddammit! Alas for the Beasties, in pop music as in newspaper journalism the headline is the important bit. Frat arseholes, answering the call to fight for their right, handed the Beasties their career. Rage Against the Machine have suffered/enjoyed a comparable fate. Whatever insight Zach De La Rocha thought he was offering regarding the struggle of people of colour to overcome modern America’s institutional white eurocentrism and systematic production of colonial mentality, it was all lost under the roar of a million middle-class white men (including manys a Frat arsehole) shouting “Fuck you, I won’t do what you tell me!” The headline on this album, apart from that, is that you can’t trust anybody and their ‘facts’ so…revolt, in some unspecified way. Maybe you won’t do your homework or maybe you’ll refuse to take a vaccine or maybe you’ll set fire to yourself in public; it’s all commendable, all roughly the same thing. This album’s initial commercial success aside, the moment it truly became part of a cultural zeitgeist was the use of ‘Wake Up’ at the end of the first Matrix film; Neo, shades on, flies off into the sky to call bullshit on absolutely everything, then Rage kicks in. A couple of generations of Americans had just found their political touchstone, regrettably. Many times inebriated and sweaty, I jumped up and down to ‘Killing in the Name of‘ just before kicking out time at the (old) Limelight. It was usually paired with Smells Like Teen Spirit to close Friday night proceedings. It’s a happy memory. So although Zach De La Rocha’s nebulous nonsense grates a little with me now I still have a soft spot for a few of these tracks. Tom Morello’s distinctive bag of one-trick never got better than it is here. The cover art is brilliant, if distasteful - a hypnotically horrifying image cropped to strengthen its iconic character. The typewriter font suits the project. The limited colour palette suits the bluntness of the music. 3/5
People glaze this band so hard, so I had high expectations. Turns out its just a guy with a strange accent scream-talking leftist things through a hard-core band. The album sounds 90% the same as the two Limp Bizkit songs I've heard, and people hate them! What am I missing? On the topic of the lyrics, of course they are going to be relevant "30 years later". Lyrics that boil down to "da goberment sux" are going to be relevant 300 years later. It isn't exactly some sort of amazing predictive power that a civilization still has flaws however many years after you write lyrics criticizing it. I say all this as a bonafide leftoid.
I really hate Rage Against the Machine when I hear their stuff on Alt Nation on SiriusXM. Don't get me wrong, i love a lot of heavy stuff and it really bugged me thinking i am too old a guy to like something like this. But after finally listening to this album I think I get it, and I am able to appreciate the hard shredding style, the lyrics are really relevant, not just then but today as well. Hearing really closely I think is important when listening to super heavy music, otherwise it will just seem like sonic assault
Again, I can only do so much screaming in my music, even if it goes alongside such incredible music. This music is very good - tapping and moving the whole listen... but the screaming. I'm sure they'd call me a pussy!
Rap / rock collaboration was nothing new, but Rage Against The Machine turned things on their head with a guitar-imitating-hip-hop approach which was pretty refreshing at the time. Coupled with the angsty political agenda, they were on to a winner. It stilll holds up more than 30 years (yikes!) on, although the novelty has worn off a little. Listening in Summer 2025 though, I can't help feeling the machine is winning at the moment.
I feel like I should like this one but it’s just so much to take in
7/10 Highlights: Killing in the Name Take the Power Back Bullet in your Head
Veel beter dan verwacht. Luisterbaar en de rap is sick voor die tijd
yeah i like rap
Pretty fun though also hard to take seriously since I did not grow up listening to it. FREEEDOOOOOMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!! Fav song: Settle For Nothing
Cult album.
I like their message and some of the songs on this album. I think I would have really enjoyed these guys as a teenager.
Good but when I was a teen this seemed so much better.
Holy nostalgia, Batman! Not really my cup of tea. It’s a bit too angsty for my taste. I did enjoy the percussivness! The guitars and rhythms are, at times, a little mathy, which I did not recall from way back when, so that was a neat discovery.
Not something I'm always in the mood for but I enjoyed this album. Killing in the Name is a classic. A lot of the songs (including that one) are a bit repetitive for me, but sometimes you do just need some angry music. Fav song: Take the Power Back or Killing In the Name Least fav: Settle for Nothing
Some decent songs in here but wasn’t too into the whole album. Still liked it as a whole though I think. Stronger second half I’d say. Listening to wake up at 0515 did infact wake me up a bit ill admit. Specific rating- 3.5 Fav song- wake up Least fav- settle for nothing
I'm not quite angry enough to truly appreciate Rage Against the Machine but I like the stuff they're saying (even if they're saying it a little too aggressively for me). Favourite: Take the Power Back Least: Settle For Nothing
Classic of its time
The album is great at what's it's trying to do, revolutionary for the genre too.
not my type of music, but I still enjoyed it
Earnest punk rock which explains why I didn't listen to it much back in the day. Starts off well but then gets too samey and the songs are too long.
medium interesting
It's rage, for sure, but the bass makes it music. The earnestness is a bit exhausting, hard to listen to the whole thing in one sitting. Saved by the bass
Killing in the Name is an iconic song... 3,75
3 out of 5. Now that I'm older and know more about how things work this album is better than I remembered.
I'll be honest, I liked this more than I expected to. It kept my interest, it was exciting, and I was surprised how many of these songs I already recognized. I never got in to this music, and frankly, I don't think I ever really will be "in to it," but was a good listen. I was on a roadtrip to Vegas, and actually gave this a couple repeat listens over the weekend.
3.5
Listened on 5/9/25 3/5 Favorite song: Killing in the Name This gave me a headache but the political commentary was top tier
Love the energy and raw feeling of RATM, even if the music isn’t my particularly cup of tea. I’d give the album a 3.5 and Bombtrack is probably the favorite.
great album
I expected to like this more than I did, it was decent but just don't see myself going back to it much
Album art:4
-holy shit this is so cool, I wish I could’ve been a teenager listening to this in the early 90s -really nothing bad to say about this album in terms of quality I think. I definitely preferred the first half but it never really deteriorated in quality. can see why this one’s so loved -Favorites are Bombtrack, Killing In The Name, and Take The Power Back
🎧Respect to Rage, they’re probably the most successful and influential politically-minded band of the past 40 years. Solid songs here, and that’s coming from someone who doesn’t like rap metal. Favorite track: Bullet In The Head
Definitely deserving on the list although for some reason I don't quite gel with the LA/So-Cal rap thrash/metal/punk sound - RHCP/RATM and all that.. In some ways this sounds a little bit like as if The Beastie Boys got up on the wrong side of bed - which isn't necessarily a bad thing. And no slight on this album but was surprised to see the Global score right on the money at 4....that's just outside the Top 20 - interesting given how unsurprising/more mainstream the other albums getting 4+ overall ratings are...
Man what an angry and aggressive album. One of those albums that you have to take a break halfway through. But that's exactly what RATM set out to accomplish so credit where credits due. Killing in the Name is a great song. Not an album I'll listen to again but respect the art. 6/10 (3/5)
Definitely not my favorite genre but lowkey I admire RATM quite a bit. This album is unapologetically radical. I’m not gonna look it up because it will make me sad if I’m wrong about this but I don’t think Tom Morello has ever had a bad take. 🤞🏻
Just what was needed
3.5
I have really mixed feelings on this one. On one hand, it takes a bunch of subgenres I hate -- rap rock, funk metal, nu metal -- but against all odds, it kind of works about half the time. I think Zack De Le Rocha kind of saves the band from their own worst instincts. He's a cool frontman. I do think it's still kind of cheesy at times, but there's some cool stuff here, particularly "Killing in the Name" and "Freedom". 3.5 stars.
Classic
Pretty cool liked it. I am a modern rap fan so listening to it super funky but not my style some absolute bangers though
I’ll admit that I was not a fan when it came out , it was really agro cock jock rock imo and I was more of a Dead Kennedys fan. But it’s not like that and I was wrong. It rocks and this album is definitely having a resurgence for reasons I am sure are a timely response to a certain political climate that finds the USA divided. Heavy guitars and good lyrics go along way.
It's really not bad. Honestly. It may be some of the best popular political punk rap I've heard. I'm just not a fan of the sound.
It's nice I guess? Would have to listen to it more (I wonder if you can edit these later)
It doesn't get much more metal than this!
It’s fine, not for my taste
It was solid workout music. They just start to sound repetitive
Good rage album
Fantastic debut album, a raw yet refined sound that you can’t help but get fired up to. Pointed and poignant lyricism that demands attention from the listener and imbues its energy into them. Zack de la Rocha vocals are raw and powerful, and Tom Morello’s iconic tone on guitar is standout from the jump. Fav track: Killing In The Name
custom_rating:6.5
INCREDIBLE bass and guitar, but the singing/screaming felt repetitive after a time -- my rage might not be big enough for this idk
Bit heavy for my taste
As a teen I couldn’t stand RATM, and now that it’s 3 decades later… It’s fine. Had to skip one song because it was like nails on a chalkboard. WHen the album finished, I was just happy the yelling was over.
Hook-filled, yapping funk metal. It sounded a bit more toothy in the 90s and paved the way for some much worse examples (the Nu Metal / Woodstock ‘99 gang). Production sounds a bit flat thirty years on and Morello’s Led Zep-isms are a bit cloying but they were a unique bit of stuff overall.
Angry mood music
I've never really listened to RATM before. I don't traffic in that kind of anger anymore but I like their sound. Morello is a good guitar player
1992, j’ai vingt-deux ans, je suis installé dans le studio de la radio indépendante, et je reçois ce truc. Une pochette avec un moine qui s'immole. Pas de fioritures, pas de logo brillant, juste la violence pure et silencieuse d'une photo historique. Je me rappelle avoir posé le diamant sur le vinyle avec une sorte d'appréhension. Ce que j'ai pris dans la gueule en cinquante minutes, c'était pas juste un disque de rock, c'était un attentat sonore. À l'époque, on sortait tout juste de la domination des brushings du hair metal et de la pop proprette. On était en plein milieu de l'explosion Grunge, mais Rage, c'était autre chose. C'était une machine de guerre conçue pour broyer le système de l'intérieur. Musicalement, c'est un séisme. Tom Morello est arrivé avec sa gratte et il a décidé que les règles n'existaient plus. Le mec ne jouait pas de la guitare, il faisait du scratching avec ses cordes, il imitait des sirènes de police, il transformait son instrument en platine de DJ ou en scie sauteuse. Pour moi, voir un type réinventer l'instrument de façon aussi radicale tout en restant "groove", c'était fascinant car on n'avait jamais entendu ça. C'était du métal, oui, mais avec une colonne vertébrale funk tellement solide qu'elle aurait pu faire danser un mort. Tim Commerford et Brad Wilk, c’est une section rythmique qui ne respire pas, elle martèle. C'est du béton armé, sec, sans aucune réverbération inutile. Et puis, il y a Zack de la Rocha. Le mec n’est pas là pour chanter, il est là pour te cracher ses convictions à la figure. C’est un flow incisif, une rage (justement) qui n’a rien de feinte. On sent que chaque mot est pesé, que chaque syllabe est une balle. À la radio, quand on passait « Killing in the Name », on savait qu’on faisait chier le monde, et c’était ça qui était bon. C’était l’époque où on croyait encore que la musique pouvait renverser des gouvernements. Ce disque, c’était le manuel de l'anarchiste mis en musique, une charge héroïque contre le capitalisme, le racisme institutionnel et la machine médiatique. C’était brut, c’était sincère, et c’était d’une efficacité redoutable. Plus tard, entre 1996 et 2000, quand je bossais dans le magasin de disques indépendant, je voyais les gamins se ruer sur cet album car c’était devenu la porte d’entrée pour toute une génération. Le problème, c'est que ça a aussi ouvert la vanne à toute la vague Nu Metal qui a suivi, et là, j'ai commencé à déchanter. Voir l'héritage de Rage Against the Machine se transformer en mecs à casquettes rouges qui pleurnichent sur leurs problèmes d'ados, ça m'a un peu flingué le plaisir. On passait de la révolte politique pure à de la soupe commerciale pour MTV. C'est peut-être là que mon regard sur ce premier album a commencé à changer, à se teinter d'une certaine amertume. Parce qu'au final, quand je remets ce disque aujourd'hui, je lui colle un 3 sur 5. Pourquoi pas plus ? Parce que c'est un album qui manque cruellement de nuances. C'est un bloc, un parpaing. C’est génial quand tu veux tout péter, mais au bout de quarante minutes, cette production ultra-propre, ultra-compressée, finit par me fatiguer. Moi qui suis un bouffeur de Post-Punk, j'ai besoin de zones d'ombre, de silences, de moments où la musique respire la défaite ou la mélancolie. Chez Rage, tout est en pleine lumière, tout est frontal, tout est dans l'affirmation constante. Il n'y a pas de place pour le doute, et pour moi, le doute, c'est l'essence même de la bonne musique. C'est un disque qui a incroyablement bien vieilli techniquement, mais qui a pris un coup de vieux dans son approche "grosse caisse claire qui claque". Quand j'écoute « Bullet in the Head », j'admire la construction, le crescendo final est monstrueux, mais ça ne me touche plus aux tripes. C'est un album de jeunesse, de testostérone et de conviction, et peut-être que j'ai juste passé l'âge de me faire hurler dessus pendant une heure sans qu'on me propose un peu de texture sonore plus complexe. Néanmoins, je ne peux pas nier l'importance de l'objet dans cette liste des 1001 albums. C'est une borne kilométrique indispensable. Ils ont réussi à fusionner le Rap et le Metal sans que ça sonne comme une blague ou un accident industriel. Ils ont apporté une conscience politique dans un milieu (le rock lourd) qui en était souvent dépourvu, ou alors de manière très superficielle. Ils ont imposé un son que personne n'a jamais réussi à copier correctement, malgré des milliers de tentatives foireuses. Rien que pour ça, le respect est éternel. C’est le genre d’album que je suis content d’avoir possédé, mais que je ne ressortirai pas spontanément pour une écoute attentive. C’est une pièce de musée vibrante, un témoignage d'une époque où on pensait que le rock pouvait encore être dangereux. Un 3/5 solide, pour l'histoire, pour le riff de « Bombtrack », pour la technique de Morello, et pour ce putain de souvenir de moi, dans mon studio de radio, pensant que le monde allait changer grâce à un riff de basse. C'était beau, c'était violent, c'était Rage. Mais la suite de l'histoire nous a appris que la "Machine" gagne toujours à la fin, et ça, le disque ne nous l'avait pas dit.
Really cool, but gets old near the end.
Some good, some bad.
i know the lyrics are important and all but rap metal isn't for me
Photo of the monk is crazy work. I think Rage Against the Machine is just an average band, if I wanted to listen to something similar there are much better bands in my opinion. Vocals mediocre.
In a remarkable feat, every song is exactly two minutes too long. On paper, this should be the worst idea for a band anyone's ever had, it ends up working as well as it does thanks to the earnest of the execution. Good in short bursts - maybe a song or two - but listening to this all the way through in one go seems a bit redundant.
This should have been Evil Empire, because this is just Rage as they’re figuring things out. Half the songs are Public Enemy ripoffs, and the others are good but still sound like bad metal production. They’ve done better, and as influential as it is, there’s so much more these guys did that it feels cheap to put this on the list.
some eternal bangers on here but the Tom Morello schtick gets old pretty quickly
such a solid album... the bass goes insane and the hits are pretty mmmmmm amazing. fav: killing in the name of
Killing in the name is harrowing but then the rest of the album just kinda sounds like a less impactful version
There was a week there back then when I thought RatM was the second coming, but I was having a bad week. They were a little too alpha for me. Fugazi for skaters who would go into finance.
I shouldn't be surprised but I was surprised at just how repetitive the lyrics are, now that I've listened to an entire RATM album. I think it makes sense for the kind of music they're making though. I have thoughts about whether this approach still resonates in the current sociopolitical climate but just as music, it sounds great, but I'm not sure I'd want to put it on any ol' time to listen to it. It's very much music for a specific occasion and purpose, and that purpose is literally the band's name.
Ok
All the bones are here but it is uneven (Settle for Nothing was really unpleasant.). Great when it is funkier. Killing in the Name whips.
The band’s sounds is great and the playing is really tight. A lot of the songs kinda end up blending together though. Also, I just cannot take the band‘s attitude seriously at all. There is an overabundance of cynical, “anti-establishment“ bands and musicians. I can enjoy some of them, but this band’s attitude is a bit overwrought for me
Hardcore ska
This is pretty cool and all but I'm not as crazy about it as many people seem to be. It definitely sounds unique as far as early-90's alternative rock or metal goes, with as much rapping as actual singing. Pretty groovy, too. Key tracks: Bombtrack Killing in the Name
Just REALLY ANGRY variations on the Seinfeld theme tune.
So I have been meaning to listen to Rage more as (sorry to be basic) but I do love Killing In The Name. Sadly, I wanted to like this album more than I did. It's good, don't get me wrong, but it didn't blow my socks off. Lyrically, I know they are a very political band and fuck the man and establishment which comes across in abundance and I can get behind to a certain extent but maybe I could be more behind it if it was told in a bit more clever way? Or maybe that's not the point to be honest... and just repeating phrases of anger is the point and I'm the problem... who knows. The guitar is great and if you like screaming the vocals definitely have something about them. Favourite songs for me (not counting Killing In The Name) Settle For Nothing and Township Rebellion but in all honesty, can I really tell one track from another... not really. And thats the problem with this album, its a lot of the same unfortunately. It's like when you see a trailer for a movie and think it looks amazing and then you watch it and realise the trailer had the best bits in it and the rest of the film is just meh. That's sadly how I feel about this album, Killing In The Name is the trailer that gets you excited but the album itself is nothing to write home about.
It's alright. The music itself is great. Not a fan of the screaming, though I get that it's essential especially considering the subject matter of this album (and every other RATM album tbh).
Decent. Wouldn’t seek it out I don’t think
Plenty of rage, and I get the naysayers, a bit like Ice-T's albums in the early 90s, this is channeling stuff for the burbs. But it's pretty listenable, and if the singer's rap-scream-singing patter is perhaps the worst thing about this, it is as nothing compared to the horrors Linkin park and Limp Bizkit would visit on us a few years later.
Ne
I know RATM has been a popular meme for being called woke, but to be fair middle school me didn't understand a lot of the content of the lyrics at the time either. I still knew they had a message and agenda and that is great. What is not great is that we're 30 years down the road and some of these issues are stills around if not worse, and that is just depressing. I also don't remember listening to the full album often, just some of the highlights like "Killing in the name" "Know your enemy" and "Freedom". All the tracks in a row are tough to get through. I agree with a lot of the points, but I like most people feel bad about the situation and not being able to see a way to make the changes. It's exhausting. Still great jams for those main tracks, so I'll give them that. Just wasn't as excited as the end of the album as I was to start it. Favorite track "Know your enemy" 3/5
3/5
the instrumentals are very good but i don't think i'm a fan of the vocal delivery. if i heard these just as instrumental tracks i think id enjoy them more.
Rage Against the Machine is exactly what it says on the tin — unbridled rage, usually (and often rightfully) directed at authority. Rock music has always been about “sticking it to the man,” as Jack Black famously said in School of Rock, and this album is a shining example of this concept gone right. RATM’s self-titled album is a nonstop tirade against “compromise, conformity, assimilation, submission, ignorance, hypocrisy, brutality, [and] the elite,” which lead vocalist Zach de la Rocha derides as “the American dream” in “Know Your Enemy.” Musically, this album fits well with other funk-influenced 90s alternative artists like Red Hot Chili Peppers, obviously minus the irreverent silliness of RHCP. Tom Morello’s guitar finesse is on display throughout this album, and I only truly began to recognize how brilliant and experimental his playing is while listening to this album. He utilizes a handful of interesting effects, including heavy distortion throughout, but my favorite solo on the album, the one on “Settle For Nothing,” features a relatively clean tone and a simple, singable legato melody, contrasting with the choppy, aggressive sound of the rest of the song. I don’t know that I enjoyed RATM’s music as much as, say, RHCP’s music, but I did enjoy listening through this album and hearing their message. I think music for me is a kind of escapism, which is why I’m not super into political/protest music., even if I’m on the same side of the artist. I don’t want to be reminded of how much the world sucks; I just wanna vibe and listen to cool stuff. RATM is NOT vibey music, but it does what it was created to do, which is fire people up to inspire change. And if that is their mission, I’d say they’re pretty successful.
I liked a portion of it. It's really not my style.
I can only take political music in small doses. Rage Against The Machine is great but a whole album of them at once is a bit much.
eu sempre achei essa banda limpa demais. tipo, tem gritaria, tem umas guitarrada alta e tal, sinto que a produção TENTA ser suja, mas é muito limpinha, organizadinha. nunca achei que combinasse, fica faltando sujeira. no mais, é divertidinho. dito isso, eu gosto de algumas ideias da banda. acho importante, blablabla. mas aqui vai minha crítica à fanbase. tem 3 tipos de pessoas que gostam de ratm: - pessoas que botam fé na visão política da banda; - galera burra que acredita que não se deve misturar política com música; - adolescente revoltado. 0 noção do que eles tão falando, mas doido pra quebrar tudo (um clássico noventista). em resumo, é uma fanbase variada que só tem um tipo de fã decente, o resto é mei burro/bobo. a década de 90 trouxe varias banda nessa pegada de nu metal/rap rock e geral se vendeu rapidinho, é justo ter essas fanbase nada a ver. eles até tentaro não se vender e pá, mas tendo a visibilidade que eles tiveram por assinar com grandes empresas, é o que acabaria acontecendo (mesmo forçadamente). sinto que eles ganhariam mais (tanto em público quanto musicalmente) se ficassem independentes. ao mesmo tempo sei que é importante a visibilidade que eles tinham pra disseminar umas ideias deles. confuso, mas de quê adianta se só 1/3 do seu público vai botar fé no que cê fala? sei lá. até o momento é um 3 mesmo e é isso aí. nunca mais vou escutar voluntariamente, rap rock não é minha pira, mas respeito a banda, apesar de tudo.
Still holds up.
What a throwback! I loved this album in high school. Still love it now! Great start!