Review by Xephyr for Rage Against the Machine - Rage Against the Machine (1992)
A Uniquely Aggressive Campaign
28 years after Rage Against the Machine's debut album it's safe to say that this release has somewhat stood the test of time and will remain unique for a long time to come. Certain genres of Metal have always been politically charged, but RATM tailored and molded the anger and frustration into something entirely new instead of just injecting political rantings into a Thrash or Heavy Metal album. The raw and unhinged nature of this debut has so much emotional weight to it that a lot of other bands aspire to have but can never quite nail it.
Every riff or solo is amazingly tight and accented, with Tom Morello's signature guitar effects able to add so much to otherwise simple riffs. RATM show that intelligent and poignant riffs can rock and hit harder than anything more complicated if done correctly, with "Killing In the Name", "Bullet In the Head", and "Fistful of Steel" being incredible examples of their riff style. They are off-beat masters as a lot of their riffs dig into the 8th note before the start of each measure, creating simple but amazing riffs with the help of hefty bass lines and well placed bass drum kicks. Even sections that are played in unison by the guitar, bass, and kick drum are interesting and exciting because there is a lot of movement as they climb up and down scales behind Zack de la Rocha's incessant shouting.
As interesting and cool as Morello's guitar scratching and screeching are, there's no ignoring RATM's front man as he drills the same phrase into the listener's head for each and every chorus. De la Rocha is the cornerstone of this band and is probably the envy of all modern Rap-Metal or Nu-Metal as it seems like even after 28 years no one has been able to capture the same energy and frustration that he was able to during the 90's. For as monotonous as some of the choruses on this album can be, de la Rocha's performance is extremely varied and controlled, like on "Killing In the Name", "Bullet In the Head", and "Settle For Nothing". The softer, more brooding parts of Rage Against the Machine really help to sell the heavier parts, as their buildups are some of the best they've ever done. Obviously the buildup in "Killing In the Name" is legendary, but "Fistful Of Steel" as well as "Freedom" use similar ideas as de la Rocha slowly increases the pressure until he pops at the end of each track. The vocals can be hit or miss as some of the lines he repeats are a bit cheesy and overblown as well as straining his voice a bit too much here and there, but the unadulterated passion that de la Rocha brings to the table is what made RATM a phenomenon. I never really thought of the vocals as rapping, but instead more of a punky-spoken-word since many of the vocal rhythms are overused and don't necessarily have a "flow", which is a massive part of the Rap genre.
After spending so much time listening to The Battle of Los Angeles and somehow never checking out where it all began, I can safely say that this is the best material RATM has written. It's brimming with energy, passion, and a uniqueness that still holds up to this day. Sadly some songs don't exactly cut it for repeated listens ("Settle For Nothing" and "Wake Up") and the formula does start to wear thin eventually, but the album remains a one-of-a-kind political tirade against America that is extremely creative and filled with some hidden gems like "Fistful of Steel".