Rage Against The Machine
January 30, 2007 by Jo Minor
Rage Against The Machine was more than a band during their years of hard-hitting, politically-charged mayhem - they represented the voice of the people, and the soundtrack of a generation.
Comprised of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, guitarist Tom Morello, bassist Tim Commerford and drummer Brad Wilk, Rage Against The Machine probably started the trend of infusing rapping vocals into hard rock songs. Since the early 90s, they were already doing their thing before the countless hordes of followers we can still hear and see today (Korn, Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park, just to name a few).
Their self-titled debut album was a showcase of strong songwriting and remarkable guitar riffs, thanks to de la Rocha’s brilliant lyrics and Morello’s virtuoso guitar playing. Ten tracks make their way into the album, with each being a solid display of the band’s capabilities and musical talent. Many fans would tell you that this album is their best - even outshining the commercially-successful The Battle Of Los Angeles.
There are simply no weak tracks present in Rage Against The Machine, and if I had to name just one outstanding song then I would have to pick Wake Up - which was later included in The Matrix soundtrack - for those who can still remember the movie, Wake Up is the song that starts playing towards the end of The Matrix, when Neo is in the phone booth - and keeps on playing until he flies off and the ending credits come on.
The band was blessed with de la Rocha’s razor-sharp vocal prowess, Morello’s revolutionary approach to guitar playing (Morello is best known for manipulating his guitar and effects pedals to create a multitude of sounds) and Commerford’s amazing finger-picked basslines. It’s a shame that the band met its demise through internal disputes that have been going on between de la Rocha and the rest of the band members for years.
As any modern rock fan would know, the rest of the band members soon formed Audioslave with ex-Soundgarden vocalist Chris Cornell - thus killing all hopes of a possible reunion with de la Rocha. Even more tragic is how Morello, Commerford and Wilk have totally distanced themselves from the music of Rage Against The Machine, and how they have found comfort sitting within the safe boundaries of slow rock numbers.
Fans of Audioslave should really pick this album up, just so they can hear how the band really was before they bowed down to the temptations of commercial success. Rage Against The Machine (both the band and the album) was a symbol of unbridled energy and limitless creativity in rock music, and will always be remembered as one.
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