Rage Against the Machine : The Battle of the TWC
Rage Against the Machine
1 Bombtrack (4:05)
2 Killing in the Name (5:14)
3 Take the Power Back (5:37)
4 Settle for Nothing (4:48)
5 Bullet in the Head (5:10)
6 Know Your Enemy (4:56)
7 Wake Up (6:04)
8 Fistful of Steel (5:31)
9 Township Rebellion (5:24)
10 Freedom (6:07)
Frequently mentioned, but as of yet not reviewed on our boards, Rage Against the Machine's career defining album was a benchmark for the early 90s alternative rock fusion scenes. It combined a mixture of funk, heavy, riff based technical metal and hip-hop to create a sublime blend of pure left wing anger and alternative rock.
Beginning with Bombtrack, the album opens with a subdued, brooding, deliberate riff, progressing with a careful layering of the instrumentals, eventually meeting a crescendo of heavy drums, bass and riffing that refuses to sit down for the rest of the track. The lyrics firstly demonstrate just what Rage are going to drill into your head: political anger, all along to the sound of de la Roche's hip-hop/hardcore punk fusion style vocals.
Killing in the Name of : Possibly the song that defines Rage. Instantly recognisable thanks to Morello's hard hitting opening riff, and the equally driving main riff, the song is a stunning blend of drums, bass, guitar and de la Roche's electric vocals. Maybe it's the amazing instrumentals? Morello's solo? The line "**** You I Wont Do What You Tell me!!", but the political message is possibly misinterpretted or even forgotten: This being the corruption within some police forces in the US, specifically with many members at the time being members of the Ku Klux Klan- How can a nation feel confident in a authority that sometimes preaches white supremacy?
The next track is an all out rant at the US curriculum, the lies it spreads, the culture it warps and controls in the name of uniformity. I particuarly like the following linesIntrumentally its fantastic; fast paced, and featuring possibly one of the greatest bass lines in modern musical history.The teacher stands in front of the class
But the lesson plan he can not recall
The students eyes dont perceive the lies
Bouncing off every ****ing wall
His composure is well kept
I guess he fears playing the fool
The complacent students sit & listen to the ********
That he learned in school
Settle for Nothing is a chilling fusion of classic metal style riffs, technical guitar effects, hardcore-hip-hop fusion lyrics which combine to create what I see as a very personal song to de la Roche. It speaks from the perspective of a person being brought up in a community with no hope, no safety net, and no help.
Bullet in the Head is a hip-hop heavy song in my opinion, with the inclusion of some heavy riffs courtesy of Morello to break up the flow somewhat. It's about questionning everything around you. Not blindingly accepting your religion. Your peers. Your government. Morello shows off his fantastic ability to manipulate the guitar- creating sounds that you will struggle to believe do not feature synthesised techniques at all.
Know Your Enemy is the sequel of sorts to the previous song in a way. If Bullet in the Head was about questionning the people and their motives, Know Your Enemy is about doing something about it, instead of sitting back; accepting the ******** going on around you.
Wake Up (of the Matrix fame) is a grinding, heavy track, and a stunning blend of driving, oozing bass, screeching riffs, and heavy drumming, accompanied by de la Roche' ranting at the authorities who put down all dissention within "counter-system" groups related to Malcom X and even Martin Luther King Jr. in the 60s.
Fistful of Steel is a somewhat dischordant, chaotic and angry track instrumentally, with de la' Roche' demonstrating his MC abilities. The lyrics speak about refusing to be silent about what you believe in. About standing up and shouting out.
Township Rebellion again demonstrates de la' Roche's hip-hop abilities. The song itself is about the lack of freedom available to people in South Africa. The frankly intelligent lyrics may not be particuarly revealing at first, but listening to them carefully unveils the message. Morrello once again delievers a stunning, screeching solo, and a pulsing guitar riff.
Freedom is my personal favorite. It's an astonishing blend of all that made Rage great. It has clever, whitty, and poiniont lyrics, a synthesis of classic style metal riffs, but also exemplifies Morrello and his guitar effect wizardry. It's meaning is intelligent, using the specific example of Leonard Peltier who rotted in jail for years after being set up by the FBI. It also highlights the ability of propaganda to make people believe in a freedom that is being controlled by the upper echelons of society- effectively making "democracy" a facade, a fraud, fake. The closing portion never fails to send shivers flying.
From the start with Bombtrack's brooding opening riff, to Zack screeching the titular word of the last track "Freedom...Yeah Right", Rage Against the Machine not only delivers a timeless hard rocker, and an unforgettable political message to the fan who wants to think. I think everyone should try it too. Whatever kind of music your into. If you dont like it? So what? You wont have wasted much time on it. But dont condemn them as yet another poor attempt at fusion of genre's, since they really were one of the highlights of the 90s scene.
95%
I'd love a hip-hop affectiono to rate de la Roche's abilities - maybe even highlight similar hip-hop artists
Evil Empire
1 People of the Sun (2:30)
2 Bulls on Parade (3:51)
3 Vietnow (4:39)
4 Revolver (5:30)
5 Snakecharmer (3:55)
6 Tire Me (3:00)
7 Down Rodeo (5:20)
8 Without a Face (3:36)
9 Wind Below (5:50)
10 Roll Right (4:22)
11 Year of tha Boomerang (3:59)
After releasing Rage Against the Machine, the band went on tour around the world, delivering live shows that they would be forever remembered for, but also taking part in many political rallies, protests and other activities- with the music as a platform and a voice for their politics. It was not until 1996 that their next studio effort would come into fruition.
Opening with "People of the Sun", the classic Rage sound instantly rear's its angry head, Morello's axe grinding with a funky electronic vibe, Commerford's bass pulsing into action, and of course Wilks' crunching drums blaring onto the speakers. Lyrically, a very hip-hop-esque piece, de la' Roche' telling a story of- the titular people of the Sun- the Indians of the Zapatista movement rising up in arms against the government trying to steal their land. Overall, technically interesting, and powerful lyrically.
Bulls on Parade is another of Rage's major hits. A heavy attack against US bullets before benefits policy, slamming the arms industry and hitting out against the government that encourages it. Morello spits out a heavy riff ala' Freedom or Take the Power Back. I'm particuarly impressed with the simple but rhymic drumming in this track particuarly- it complements Morello's and Commerfords guitar work perfectly. de la Roche' demonstrates his once again interesting ability to meld hip-hop with more gutteral hardcore style vocals, a clear hark back to his days as part of Inside Out.
A rant at right wing information pusher programs hosted by the likes of Rush Limbaugh and G. Gordon Liddy, Vietnow is a very hip-hop style song vocally, and well accompnied by the classic Rage sound. Commerfords Bass work particuarly shines through, and is what I consider to be the real highlight of the instrumental half of the song.
What I consider to be one of Rage's greatest bombtracks, Revolver is one of my favorite song of the album, featuring some fantastic guitar effects courtesy of Morello, with the song drifting carefully from classic heavy Rage riffs, before falling quickly in pace and tempo, Morello's guitar providing some deliberate, yet eerie and dischordant ambience, de la' Roche whispering rancor, spitting hate into the mic, before rising into a torrent of noise and anger. A fantastic melding of instrumental and vocal work, the song is far more personal than the usual Rage song however- I believe myself its probably introspective of de la Roche's upbringing, more than anything.
Snakecharmer feature's some fantastic, pacy drumming work, carefully pulsing bass work, and some more of Morello's feedback induced, dischordant ambience. And some classic rage riffing. Notice a pattern yet? So far, most songs are very characteristic of Rage's abilities- at heavy riffing. Back to Snakecharmer Lyrically, its highly metaphorical, referrering to what would be Rage's flagship hate- Capitalism, and the individualism it premotes.
Next up we've got the grammy award winning Tire Me- a dischordant angry bombardment, Tire Me features explosive pacy drumming, quite apart from the style Wilk uses throughout most of Rage's tracks. Technically, the song is fantastic, utilising some pretty amasing guitar effects, drumming and lyrics. I've yet to find a decent interpretation of the lyrics so far, but I'd say its about clique membership- back in the day, everyone wanted to look like Jackie Onassis- trying to belong to a group to look individual. It's about being yourself.
Down Rodeo fits the mould of the rest of the album - a mix of classic Rage instrumentals, with the implementation of some dischordant structures. Lyrically, its an attack on the wealthy- with Rodeo Drive acting as the "example" of the aspects of society that antithesises the reality of many lower class citizens. Overall, its clever lyrically, but in my opinion weaker instrumentally- not for lack of ability by the band at all, but mainly since it does not deliever anything the album has not already done so.
Without a Face strikes me as being the most hip-hop inspired track on the album- drum and bass heavy, its also a strong bombtrack- with an ominous sounding build up, before exploding into a loud angry attack on the US Mexican border policy, which deems the Mexicans attempting to emigrate as soul-less, cancerous beings. Powerful lyrically.
Wind Below again takes up back to the Zapatista movement, and features, once again, classic heavy Rage riffing, and Evil Empire style high pitched dissonance. Nothing special, although it features what I consider one of the finest and most "interesting" guitar solo's on the album - its moments like this that make you disbelieve the use of guitar to produce the sound!
Roll Right again does nothing special, but again, its a damn good song. No one instrument overpowers the other, de la Roche's vocals are on top form, and the message is there. This song and the next are the most threatening in tone lyrically- this one referring to the seventh level - where the warmongers will go, and thus the song is an attack on imperialism, arms profiteering, and right wing policy. Vocally, its a return to the hip-hop hardcore synthesis of earlier tracks.
Another threat of sorts to the Right Wing, Year of the Boomerang makes reference to Frantz Fanon's coinage of this songs title, declaring the idea that one day, the people will rise against their oppressors to overthrow the injustices of society. Instrumentally, its a bit of a disappointment I'd say- it does nothing new, even if its not a bad song.
Overall, the album is a good listen. It's enjoyable, and politically interesting. Some tracks are what I consider hallmarks of Rage's time- Bulls on Parade, Revolver and Tire Me for example. I would recommend this album to anyone with a slight interest in Rage, but I would also suggest opting to purchase Rage Against the Machine and the Battle of LA first. The reason for this? It's nothing new compared to the other two albums, which do a better job of experiamenting with possibilities. That said, I wont accept the commonly held view that Evil Empire is little more than a continuation of their self titled release. The use of fairly dischordant structures are quite apart from anything on the other two albums, even if its overused a bit throughout this effort.
Overall: 84%
The Battle of Los Angeles
1 Testify (3:30)
2 Guerrilla Radio (3:26)
3 Calm Like a Bomb (4:58)
4 Mic Check (3:33)
5 Sleep Now in the Fire (3:25)
6 Born of a Broken Man (4:41)
7 Born as Ghosts (3:21)
8 Maria (3:48)
9 Voice of the Voiceless (2:31)
10 New Millennium Homes (3:44)
11 Ashes in the Fall (4:36)
12 War Within a Breath (3:37)
Why change a winning concept? Rage Against the Machine prior to this album had firmly established a unique style- a sublime synthesis of technical, riff based metal, hip-hop, hardcore punk, and had of course, as we all know, come out on trumps. Rage chose not to radically alter the bands style- and rightly so. Few other bands were exploiting (and few have since!) the style they produced, but this album takes the best bits of the previous efforts, and adds a plethora of new effects, all powered by the bands explosive political ethic.
Openning with "Testify", and ending with "War Within a Breath", one thing that stands out in this album is the variety in the tracks- each song is different from the last, which is one of the factors that detracted from the previous major release (Evil Empire).
Guitar effects within the album are made to great effect. Guerrilla Radio is a treasure trove of such techniques- from the Wah manipulation in the verse, along with delay to create a building tension of sorts. Secondly, the fantastic solo utilises both wah and whammy pedal to make the guitar sound like a harmonica. Clearly this man know's his guitar. Throughout the whole album Morrello makes use of all kinds of effects- delay, wah pedals, whammy pedals and his iconic kill switch armed axes to create what I believe are some of his most unique and original sounds to date. And not only this, but he just doesn't let up on the heavy guitar riffs. "Calm like a Bomb" for example combines pitch shifting, and tremello picking to great effect, before leading into an iconic Rage riff. Again, manipulation of feedback is used to great effect- take for example the solo in "Sleep Now in the Fire". Although simple enough to play, getting it to sound anything like the actual solo is anything but easy without great knowledge of guitar technicalities. Overall, its my belief that the Battle of LA represents the pinnicle of Morello's guitar playing to date.
Moving on to Commerfords bass work, it remains as good as ever. One track particuarly stands out in my eyes for bass work- "War Within a Breath". An explosive end to the album, it combines both the "grinding" style of bass playing that so exemplifies the originality in his Bass guitar abilities, but also some more "traditional" bass work throughout. Throughout the whole album, Commerford's bass work perfectly complements the rest of the band.
Brad Wilk, once again prove's his worth as the bands drummer. For me a track which does the greatest justice to his drumming skills is "Ashes in the Fall"- with perfect timing and rhythm, the drumming is the unsung hero of this song- no matter how well Morrello is at work in this track with some fantastic use of effects, the drum work in this song is spot on, with a stunning combination of fills and rhythms, that all though perhaps not quite as overpowering as the guitar riffing and bass, in my ears is the highlight of this song. Testify to shows off Wilk's perfect timing and pace throughout, but also his ability to really build up the power of the beat in time with the guitar, bass and vocals.
Lyrically, the Battle of LA is in my opinion equally as powerful as previous efforts, proving the most vocal against the machine yet. "Sleep Now in the Fire" for example is one of Rage's most iconic songs, and one of the most powerful lyrically, slamming the capitalist society and the ignorance of the rich. It also has one of my favorite videos ever. All this is fuelled by de la Roche's unique vocal style, flowing from more hip-hop style's to his hardcore punk origins within a breath effortlessly. He's on top form in this album - every song has vocal's that demonstrate just how great a front man de la Roche' really is. The political content of this album is far more poiniont in my eye's - it takes the issues to a global level, rather than the more specific issue's covered in the last two major albums (not counting live albums and Renegades). Some may not like this change, but I guess in some ways it makes it more accessible- its not talking about issue's people have never heard of, but things that are around us everyday- political corruption, poverty, subvertive propaganda and the such like. It's about making people aware of the ills of society rather than blindly accepting everything as being righteous and good.
Overall, I put this on the same heady heights of Rage Against the Machine. It's far more focused in my opinion, with a greater variety, and power than Evil Empire. It does lack the iconic songs of the first album, but more than makes up for it with some incredibly powerful tracks. It also represents the point in the bands career where they became very much more powerful in their mission to make people aware of the problems of society- they were becoming greatly prominant in various anti-government rallies and protests against injustices; take for example their performance at the Democratic National Convention in 2000, or the filming of Sleep Now in the Fire at Wall Street.
95%
Guilty Parties
Zack de la Roche - Vocals
Tim Commerford - Bass
Brad Wilk - Drums
Tom Morrello - Guitar
All Sounds Made By Guitar, Bass, Drums and Vocals.
