#6: Rage Against The Machine - Rage Against The Machine (1992)

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

As they're headlining on Saturday at Leeds Festival and it's not entirely unlikely that I'll end up seeing some or all of their set (depending on how things look once the full lineup is announced), I figured I may as well delve into Rage Against The Machine's back catalogue a little: And where better to start than with their self-titled debut? This review is perhaps a little shorter than I'd like, so sorry if it feels a bit half-arsed.

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Rage Against The Machine are a band as known as much for their outspoken political stance as they are for their music - and that's because, for them, the two go hand in hand. Take album-opener 'Bombtrack', for instance: Combining a clean but heavy guitar funk that just makes you want to bounce with angry, almost anarchical lyrics, with the intent being to "make punks take another look," as Zack puts it.

This leads into one of the bands most recognisable songs, 'Killing In The Name': Its simple, repeated hooks see de la Roche raging against white supremacy groups, before screaming the iconic anti-authority chant of "Fuck you I won't do what you tell me!" It's clear that that he's got a lot to be angry about, with each subsequent song tackling a different theme. 'Take The Power Back' tackles corrupt education systems, while 'Settle For Nothing' is a stark tale of broken homes and gang culture. 'Township Rebellion' rails against apathy and apartheid, while 'Wake Up' and 'Freedom' are both massive rallying cries that each end with Zack screaming the title repeatedly down the mic.

With all this talk of politics, it's easy to let the music take a back seat - but Rage aren't just a political soapbox. For example, amongst all the lyrical fire of 'Bullet In The Head' there's one hell of a funky, understated bass riff, while the jerky, staccato guitar at the start of 'Know Your Enemy' sounds like a series of little electric shocks - in a totally awesome way, of course. Morello even shows off some 'special effects' during 'Fistful Of Steel', first making his guitar sound like a siren, and then pulling off turntable-style scratch solos on it. It's not the only song to feature oddball guitar effects, with the beginning of 'Township Rebellion' sounding almost like a didgeridoo. 

Another thing that might be easy to overlook if you focus too much on the lyrics is the fact that de la Roche's vocals do a lot to complement the music. When he's spitting out his messages in a rapid, aggressive style, his vocals always flow well. And while his default emotional setting appears to be 'angry', he often lets his rage seethe under the surface during the slower, quieter moments before letting out raw, explosive screams when the band turn up the volume.

Rage Against The Machine is an unrelentingly heavy listen, and can start to drag towards the end of its 53-minute running time. But at the end of the day, you can approach this album in one of two ways. Either you can delve into their lyrics and the politics behind it all and hold the band up as a voice for change screaming "WAKE UP!" at the world from the rooftops... or you can simply whack 'Killing In The Name' on and jump around, shouting along in appreciation of the band's weighty funk. Perhaps I'm being a bit shallow, but the latter option seems like a lot more fun to me.