I am aware that this is a beloved and important work. I was not into it even a tiny bit. Guitars drown out the lyrics. Very repetitive, very riffy, very angry. Basically a guy shouting (NOT singing) a phrase over and over again while a band plays an unrelated riff. Without the shouting, this would basically sound like an angry jam band. I've seen some reviews along the lines that this album "merge[s] the seemingly disparate sounds of rap and heavy metal". It does not. It’s not “rap” just because he’s not singing. It's just shouting, barely rhythmically, and most of the time not remotely melodic. And listen: that's obviously on purpose, but it doesn't transform into something different. I don’t even like the atonal guitar solos. I’m sure they’ve very difficult, but I do not find them pleasant to listen to. I respect Rage Against the Machine, but for my money, they can go on raging without my participation.

I am aware that this is a beloved and important work. I was not into it even a tiny bit. Guitars drown out the lyrics. Very repetitive, very riffy, very angry. Basically a guy shouting (NOT singing) a phrase over and over again while a band plays an unrelated riff. Without the shouting, this would basically sound like an angry jam band. I've seen some reviews along the lines that this album "merge[s] the seemingly disparate sounds of rap and heavy metal". It does not. It’s not “rap” just because he’s not singing. It's just shouting, barely rhythmically, and most of the time not remotely melodic. And listen: that's obviously on purpose, but it doesn't transform into something different. I don’t even like the atonal guitar solos. I’m sure they’ve very difficult, but I do not find them pleasant to listen to. I respect Rage Against the Machine, but for my money, they can go on raging without my participation.

Ah, 1995, the year I didn't listen to new music anymore.

I first heard this album while sitting on a beach in San Diego. It was night, we had a pretty good bonfire going, and the Violent Femmes were on the boom box. It was a magical night and also this album absolutely rules.