Wake Up And Feel The Rage!

Rage Against The Machine was my first Rage album, and it is definitely my favourite. Original, funky, and it rocks. A lot of my friends are of the belief that their final effort The Battle Of Los Angeles is better, but there is no doubt in my mind as to which album is superior. Part of the reason being that this is the original, but also that it has a more varied range of tunes that don’t all follow a similar formula, which is part of my problem with The Battle Of LA. This is a classic, and is one of my favourite albums of all time. Now that’s a big statement.

Rage Against The Machine is Zack De La Rocha (vocals), Tom Morello (guitars), Tim Commerford (bass) and Brad Wilk (drums).

Part of the reason that Rage are so good is that they are so tight as a band. With De La Rocha rapping and screaming over the top of Morello’s bleeping, soloing guitars, Timmy C conjuring up funky bass lines non-stop, and Wilk pounding away in the background, this all makes a good wall of noise that is definitely pleasing on the ears.

Track Listing

1. Bombtrack
2. Killing In The Name
3. Take The Power Back
4. Settle For Nothing
5. Bullet In The Head
6. Know Your Enemy
7. Wake Up
8. Fistful Of Steel
9. Township Rebellion
10.Freedom

The album kicks off in amazing style, with a rather funky track with probably the most simple structure on the album. Bombtrack starts with some cool bass and guitar playing a catchy little riff, and you can hear the sound gradually building up in the background, as the drums come steamrollering in. Finally everything bursts out into a very funky riff, bass and guitar combining to powerful effect as Rage hit you with a wall of noise, the drums hammering away nicely in the background. After this assault they settle into a different, but just as funky riff, and the drums are steady in the background. The original riff comes back in for the chorus, with De La Rocha simply insisting ”Burn, burn, yes ya gonna burn”. I love the cymbal work from Wilk in the chorus. Then everything breaks down and a solo bursts out brilliantly. Not the best solo on the album, in fact one of the more simple, but it fits the song best. They come back for one more stomping chorus before the song ends.

Another funky radical bombtrack
Started as a sketch in my notebook
And now dope hooks make punks take another look
My thoughts ya hear and ya begin to fear
That ya card will get pulled if ya interfere

Killing In The Name, the song that defines Rage for me, starts off with powerful chords, then a cool bass line and guitar riff intertwine, with drums perfectly punctuating the action. It would be acceptable if the song went on like this, but it doesn’t. With a shout of ”Killing in the name of…” by De La Rocha, the track truly comes to life as they pull out yet another brilliant double-attack riff. The bass is left on its own to carry the verses along, and then the guitar comes in with a cool chord progression. Everything quiets down, and this is the only part of the song that I don’t like, one chord building up gradually until they are ready to go into the chorus as De La Rocha repeats ”Now you do what they told ya” until they burst out with another inventive riff for the chorus, and De La Rocha breaks into a shout. An amazing sounding solo springs to life after the second chorus, the guitar is a couple of octaves higher here, which just makes it sound about ten times cooler. Then there is some noise and pounding drums until they break out again with the same chorus riff except De La Rocha repeats ”F*ck you I won’t do what you tell me" throughout this one. Parents all over the world are guaranteed to go mad about this song being played in their teenager’s bedrooms at full volume!

Those who died are justified
For wearing the badge, they’re the chosen whites
You justify those that died
By wearing the badge, they’re the chosen whites

The album doesn’t let up for a minute. Take The Power Back starts off with bass drum, then a funky bass line eventually comes in, with droning guitars floating over the top. The funky bass line winds under the verses, and Morello plays a very simple riff over the top. The chorus is the only disappointing thing about this song, the riff is alright, but it is a little boring, and the bass doesn’t really do anything. Although this song contains the best solo in this album; speedy, catchy, brilliant. Morello is a genius. The song quiets down near the end, with just the drums constant and the bass and guitar coming in occasionally. Then the funky riff comes back in. There is another quiet part, as De La Rocha repeats ”No more lies”, building from a whisper to a shout, then another less funky riff carries the song through to the end.

The present curriculum
I put my fist in ‘em
Eurocentric every last one of them
See right through the red, white and blue disguise
With lecture I puncture the structure of lies

Settle For Nothing is the weakest track on the album, simply because it is not funky in the slightest, it doesn’t have the same adrenaline flowing through it that the other songs do, and De La Rocha’s vocals are slightly annoying in the chorus. He gets more angry and anguished as the song goes on, and his voice screeches through the final chorus. The bass here is quite good, but the guitar doesn’t really do anything interesting, apart from the solo, which makes the song worth listening to.

A jail cell is freedom from the pain in my home
Hatred passed on, passed on and passed on
A world of violent rage
But it’s one that I can recognise
Having never seen the colour of my father’s eyes
Yes, I dwell in hell, but it’s a hell that I can grip
I tried to grip my family
But I slipped

Bullet In The Head is another album highlight. Now it is time for Wilk to shine. Throughout the entire song his drums mesmerize me, with their power and ability to drive the song. The song starts off with another simple bass line, another funky one surprisingly, and this plays through the verse, Commerford varying it slightly sometimes which makes it even better. The guitar and bass combine again to drive the simple chorus onwards. There is a cool guitar solo after the first chorus which immediately leads on to a second repetition of the chorus. The guitars warble through the verses on this one. Particularly interesting is the ending of the song, where a monstrous riff slowly builds up powerfully with the line ”A bullet in your head” repeated until the crescendo where De La Rocha loses it and screams ”You’ve got a bullet in your f*cking head!”. All that remains after that is an astounding whirlwind of drums to bring the song to a more than satisfactory ending.

This time the bullet cold rocked ya
A yellow ribbon instead of a swastika
Nothin’ proper about your propaganda
Fools follow rules when the set commands ya
Said it was blue
When ya blood was red

Know Your Enemy is similar to Killing In The Name in that it starts off with a totally different riff to what the rest of the song will be. Twanging bass and catchy guitars make an excellent opening section which again they could have easily made a brilliant song out of! But again they choose to go off at a tangent and play a cool riff, followed by a more driving riff to move the verses along. This song goes at quite a pace, and the chorus consists of the cool riff before it all kicks off into the verse again. This song contains a very good solo as well, which occurs after a little breakdown in the song’s rhythm. After this there is a series of bleeps and blips, before the driving riff comes back in and the song ends with De La Rocha repeating the line ”All of which are American dreams” over and over again, even continuing when the music has disappeared from behind him.

Word is born
Fight the war, f*ck the norm
Now I got no patience
So sick of complacence
With the D the E the F the I the A the N the C the E
Mind of a revolutionary
So clear the lane
The finger to the land of chains
What? The land of the free?
Whoever told you that is your enemy?

Another highlight comes in the shape of Wake Up, which starts with simple guitar wailings and driving riffage. Then it all fades away slowly, and with a screeching piece of noise, in comes one of the best riffs of the album, a riff which gets slightly higher in the final part. It all breaks down into a funky verse yet again, and simply the riff for the chorus. Except in the second chorus it is different, the riff has a more vibrating quality to it, then the whole song changes. A completely different riff enters afterwards, and they play this for a bit. It takes a while for the drums to get in synch with the music, but once they do, it drives along powerfully and beautifully. The original riff eventually gets played over and over at the end, with De La Rocha screaming ”Wake up!” over the top. The guitar enters and plays a cool solo at the end also, wrapping up the song in fine fashion.

’Cause blood still flows in the gutter
I’m like takin’ photos
Mad boy kicks open the shutter
Set the groove
Then stick and move like I was Cassius

The last three tracks are not quite as good as the rest, but are all still very good songs. Fistful Of Steel has a very nice, powerful riff that makes up the chorus, and a good bass line. The drums are steady but not outstanding. The guitar squeals over the top in the verses, and plays a solo later on which is quite good. Then the song changes like most of the songs on this album do. The riff that enters now is actually better than the one that has been playing in the chorus. Another guitar solo plays over the top of this, a more squealing one akin to any other solo form the album really, and the song ends with this new riff.

Groovin’, playin’ this game called survival
The status, the elite, the enemy, the rival
The silent sheep slippin’, riffin’, trippin’
Give ya a glimpse of the reality I’m grippin’
Steppin’ into the jam and I’m slammin’ like Shaquille

Another great riff defines Township Rebellion, containing one of the more sing along choruses from the album, when Morello plays the funky riff over De La Rocha bellowing ”Why stand on a silent platform, Fight the war, f*ck the norm”. At one point in the song, De La Rocha lets out an animal scream and the song changes slightly, but they come back for one more chorus, with a better sounding guitar part in it. A solo more like those from Killing In The Name and Take The Power Back appears in this song, therefore a good one.

Yeah so you thought you could get with the hardlines
That fill your mind
Thoughts, battles fought
And lessons taught
Yes I’ll display the fitness
And flip like a gymnast
Raise my fist and resist
Asleep, though we stand in the midst

Freedom is a decent end to the album, containing another very good riff, a more catchy and complex version of Township Rebellion’s riff if you will. Just when you think you’ve heard about all this song has to offer, De La Rocha whispers ”Anger is a gift” and a speedy, driving riff comes in, which plays for some time. This plays twice throughout the song. There is a slower, more melancholy solo in this one after the first speedy riff comes to an end. Unfortunately they do drag this song on a bit at the end, when it should maybe just end. I think maybe they thought they needed to have a big album finale that lasted over six minutes. Well, they got it, but it should have only lasted about five minutes at the very most.

It’s set up like a deck of cards
They’re sending us to early graves
For all the diamonds
They’ll use a pair of clubs to beat the spades

The bottom line is basically this. This is an essential album, original, and everyone has to own this. The style of music may not be for everybody, (I know its not particularly my style) but the whole album is executed almost flawlessly from start to finish. I love almost every minute of this, and it is always guaranteed to get the adrenaline pumping when I need a bit of a pick-up. If you don’t already own this, strive to get a hold of it. Unfortunately, when they disbanded, Rage’s formula had become a little tiresome. However, this is simply breathtaking, and remains one of the greatest debut albums of all time.

Excellent: Bombtrack, Killing In The Name, Take The Power Back, Bullet In The Head, Wake Up
Good: Know Your Enemy, Fistful Of Steel, Township Rebellion
Average: Settle For Nothing, Freedom
Weak: NONE

Final Rating: 19/20