February 2020 Feature Release - The Gateway Edition

It's now February which of course means that we'll be nominating a brand new monthly feature release for each clan. This essentially means that we're asking you to rate, review & discuss our chosen features for no other reason than because we enjoy the process & banter. Ben & I will certainly be contributing & we look forward to hearing your thoughts too.     

This month's feature release for The Gateway is 1992's self-titled debut album from Los Angeles rap/metal hybrid act Rage Against The Machine. This album made a huge impact through a number of hit singles (particularly the classic "Killing In The Name Of") however it's always managed to shun a lot of the backlash that usually comes with commercial success. It also seems to have a crossover appeal with fans of other subgenres & is generally well received by metal fans of all walks of life. We're keen to hear your thoughts on whether there really is a place for rap in metal music or not.

Great review from saxy on this one earlier today. Very much in line with my own opinions. Rage Against The Machine's rap/metal sound doesn't sit all that comfortably amongst my usual musical fascinations however their passion & execution are enough to keep things interesting for me throughout. The rhythm section is solid as fuck & makes this a genuinely heavy record when it wants to be. It's the band's best work for mine although I can't say that I'll ever genuinely love a RATM release.

3.5/5

Threw up a review as well. I listened to The Battle of Los Angeles a lot many years ago, but never checked out this full album. 

I think what bumped up the score (4 out of 5) for me was the amount of creativity in this compared to Battle of LA. Rage has been and always will be pretty monotonous with their one-note choruses and overused buildups, but this one has a ton of neat solos, sound effects, and bass lines that keep it much more interesting than any of their other albums for me. Plus this is probably the most angry de la Rocha has sounded on any of their albums.