 |  | "Killing in the name of..." |  |
Probably the only rap-metal album that honestly qualifies as any good, and definitely the most violently liberal album I've ever heard in my life. Not like I mind, of course. But if you don't agree with the politics, it'll probably hurt your enjoyment of the album. Enough of that, though. The point is that this band is awesome. Especially guitarist Tom Mollero, who comes up with brilliant riffs throughout and throws in all kinds of innovative, crazy solos that don't sound like they're coming from a guitar. The solo on "Killing in the Name" sounds like it could've came from a synthesizer, for instance. The stuff he pulls on "Take the Power Back" sounds like turntable work or something, his solo on "Bullet in the Head" seems a lot like a clavinet, and the squeals on "Fistful of Steel" could be a siren going off. But it's all guitar! I don't even know what to call the stuff in "Township Rebellion," but since no keyboards, synthesizers, or sampling was used in the making of this record, that's guitar too, I guess. He even manages to somewhat save the turgid "Settle for Nothing" with a quiet, jazzy solo. And then there's Zack de la Rocha, easily the angriest of all the angry young men of the '90s. His rants are awesome, whether they're the "You're gonna burn!" chorus in "Bombtrack" (which owns, by the way), the infamous "f*** you, I won't do what you tell me" bits from the absolutely fantastic "Killing in the Name," or the "ALL OF WHICH ARE AMERICAN DREAMS!" segment of "Know Your Enemy." I'm also a fan of bassist Tim Commerfield, who manages to play both melodically and funkily throughout ("Take the Power Back," "Bullet in the Head"), and him and drummer Brad Wilk know how to keep a solid, very funky groove, which gives them cool points ("Bombtrack," "Bullet in the Head"). On top of that, most of their songs have multiple parts! I like multipart songs. "Killing in the Name" has something like three - a weird, effects-laden guitar intro that for some reason always makes me think I'm listening to some one besides Rage, this really cool part where it sounds like Tom is dueling with himself, and the main part of the song. "Know Your Enemy" has a slow, funky intro with another clavinet-guitar part, a fast, hard, punk-funk part, and a slow metal section that features Tool's Manyard James Keenan on vocals, "Wake Up" (featured in The Matrix, which means it would be good even if it was bad, which it isn't) speeds up and slows down and has a brief but fascinating build-up section. "Freedom" speeds up and changes its guitar tone so much, you'd think it wasn't one song, but several different ones mashed together. I'm not a huge fan of the song itself (de la Rocha's screams sound constipated, which isn't a good thing), but it's not bad, and the complete changes it makes are unpredictable, which is a good thing. Really, the only problem with the album is that it's really limited. It must be said that, once you've heard one Rage song, you've kind of heard them all. But you should hear... fifteen, twenty, I'm guessing? And yes, ten of them should be from this album.
August 25, 2008| | | this is where it all began | |
This album, like Kongcrete's debut self-titled album, truly defined the whole genre of rap rock or mashups between hip hop and rock. It put hip hop on the rock map and vice versa. The production on this album lacks some of the edge in Rage's albums which followed, but contains much of the seminal anger and defiance which would later be the trademark of Rage as well as other groundbreaking bands which followed such as Kongcrete. Action movies in the year 2008 are still using music from this album.
July 16, 2008| | | Rage Against The Machine- One Word, Explosive! | |
I have long been a fan of Rage Against The Machine as they are pretty much my favorite rock group ever. Just with the way the mesh hardcore rock with influences of rap pulled me in from the first time I heard one of their records back in the mid 90s. As you look back, you realize they are one of the pioneers in that sort of genre that has led to groups like maybe a Limp Bizkit and most definitely a Linkin Park (who is another one of my favorite groups). And the fact that their anger is built out of frustration and oppression from what they feel comes from the government is another fact that made me fall in love with their music and the group itself. Therefore, I had long been in the looks for the first album which it seemed I could never get my hands on. It had almost become like a white unicorn. Then finally just recently I discovered that we had a couple copies in our stockroom at the job I work out and was like I have to have this. I had heard a few if not half the songs on the album, but the album in its entirety. After playing the CD for days, I have been knocked off my feet and blown away. This whole album is like one big fireball and can't help but want to be standing in the way of it being thrown at you.
The around hour-long CD has intensity that is off the charts, nothing like I have ever heard before. Zack De La Rocha grabs your attention as the frontman with ever-scathing lyrics that locks your ears and hooks in your minds to think. Not only does he have some great lyrical ability in his arsenal that can rival some of these rappers today, he has content that goes has him go out on a plank and dive into an ocean/current that few musical artists back then or today are willing to risk. And that has him and the group fight back against the government. And if his yelling through the mic cannot get through to you, I don't know what can. I don't pretend to be a guitar expert, but the sounds that Tom Morello makes with his are RIDICULOUS!! One minute it sounds like alarms going off, next minute it sounds like he is mixing and scratching like a DJ, then making it sound like some crazy machine (like a computer uploading or something, kind of hard to describe). The riffs and solos are insane! Inventive, innovative and creative. Those are the words that come to mind when you hear Morello's guitar on these songs. And just downright sick! I don't know how most would rank the guitarists from all these different phases and times of rock (with the Jimi Hendrix and all the other various groups over time or even just solo artists), but I would have to think in my view that Tom Morello has to be up in the top eschelon of them all. And cannot forget about Brad Wilk and Tim C on the drums and bass setting the tone and background for these songs. The way they can just belt out hard sounds for that whole raging effect, then go low and quiet/soft only to build it back up like anger boiling to the surface to match Zack's emotions is tremendous! All these guys bring an element that just make this group truly one of a kind.
From the chorus saying, "Burn, burn, yes you're gonna burn," from the opening Bombtrack is like pouring gasoline all over and getting the fuse ready and saying get ready for this. Killing In The Name is one of there more widely-known songs, probably more for the fact that it is one of those rebellious songs aimed at the authority figures of this society in which Zack just puts it plainly, "F you, I won't do what you tell me!" Take The Power Back is telling you how the lies that we have been fed and the structural base of this country has held most of us back for generations and now it is time to rip that power back from them and take control. Which leads into Settle For Nothing, knowing that we (as a whole) deserve much better than what we are getting and not settling for nothing less than that. Bullet In The Head is an extremely powerful track that explains how a lot of us are braindead to the fact that we don't think for ourselves (like we get a bullet in our head). Know Your Enemy is explaining to us to recognize who the true enemy is, not only the government but the American ways/methods that some use to get to the American Dream. Wake Up, self-explanatory track and one you may have heard by now. A song challenging (and from Zack's view, screaming) at you to wake up from sleeping and dreaming the American Dream and realize what is truly going on in how we have been blinded from the fact in how the government is dirtier than anyone and the how they have deflected any responsibility in the deaths of King and Malcolm X (from Zack's perspective). This whole song from the words he speaks to him yelling at you at the end makes you take a step back. Fistful of Steel has become my favorite track off this whole album. Tom's guitars sound creepy, but fun at the same time and Zack is using a mic as a fistful of steel to get through to you using it's power instead of a gun (words have incredible power). Township Rebellion... you think of a township, you think of a quiet part of a neighborhood/city where things seem to be all well and good, all fine and dandy (which equates to this country in some ways). This group is saying definitely not the case and it's time to rebel against it all. When I hear Freedom, all that comes to mind is William Wallace (Mel Gibson) from Braveheart when he yells at the end,"Freeeddooommmmmm!!!" This is one thing we all long for, the freedom for anything in our lives- whether its the choice to be what we want to be, the choice to speak our minds freely or anything of the nature and with it not being restricted or bucked against. I find it fitting that at the end of the song, the group ends it with the instruments making all types of noises like a machine going haywire and overloading. I see as a symbol as us breaking free and putting the country/government (the machine) spiraling out of control and overcoming it. That was an ingenious way to bring the whole album to a close.
This album came out in 1992, and I can feel what they are trying to get through to people back then now in 2008. That is just incredible when you think about it. How what they said 16 years ago can relate to what is going on now (And OH HOW IT CAN!). The whole late 80s-early 90s era brought some incredible music and groups when it came to rock. Guns N Roses, Pearl Jam, Metallica, Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers and most definitely Rage Against The Machine with this time-standing debut. I totally feel like that group came along at the right time with at being at the end of the first Bush era, but was ahead of it's time also with how things are now with this Bush Administration. I'm not real heavy into politics, but it doesn't take a genius to see how screwed-up the economy and this country is all thanks to Bush and his crew. And I do have my views. Rock and all of us needed a group like Rage Against The Machine to say the things most of us may not have the courage to say (a la the movie Talk To Me if I can borrow from that). And they just didn't talk it, they acted and tried to change things. That is major when you talk and do instead of just talk. This group would have a field day with issues to talk about in today's society and you can only wish they were around now. I feel like no one has really filled that void they left behind once they fractured. But I have to thank them for what they gave us through the 90s, including their first piece of work. Rage lives on 4ever!
July 15, 2008| | | One of the great debut albums of all-time | |
An amazing debut. Rage combined their influences (Public Enemy, Led Zeppelin & the Sex Pistols) into one hell of a brew. It's heavy as hell, it's angry and smart and rabid...and it'll rock your face off.
May 7, 2008| | | Believin all the lies that they're tellin ya... | |
Just look at the cover photo & the name of the band. One of the best records of all time. Different, inventive, fearless, revolutionary, sincere, solid, art at it's best. This is what rock & roll is supposed to be all about. Tom Morello is the most inventive guitarist since Van Halen. Love this band. Highly recommend all of their stuff.
May 7, 2008More reviews at Amazon.com ...
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