History:
The band was originally formed in 1991 when Tom Morello was in a club, and heard Zack De La Roche freestyle rapping on stage. Morello asked him after his set if he wanted to be in a band, and Zack agreed. They drafted Brad Wilk to play drums, a drummer who had auditioned for Tom Morello's previous band Lock Up, and Zack asked his childhood friend Tim Commerford to play bass. They recorded a rough demo of their album and put it in a 12 track cassette tape and passed it around to record labels. After playing a couple of shows, various labels took interest in the band, but they agreed to sign to Epic Records since the label would give the band creative freedom and wouldn't restrict them. They went to Sound City and recorded their debut self titled album that would eventually go Triple Platinum. It was because of this album that RATM could perform at Lollapalooza in 1993. The album had fantastic tracks such as "Killing in the Name of" "Take The Power Back", "Know Your Enemy", and "Freedom". They toured extensively with this album, and later in 1996, they would record their second album; Evil Empire
The band was originally formed in 1991 when Tom Morello was in a club, and heard Zack De La Roche freestyle rapping on stage. Morello asked him after his set if he wanted to be in a band, and Zack agreed. They drafted Brad Wilk to play drums, a drummer who had auditioned for Tom Morello's previous band Lock Up, and Zack asked his childhood friend Tim Commerford to play bass. They recorded a rough demo of their album and put it in a 12 track cassette tape and passed it around to record labels. After playing a couple of shows, various labels took interest in the band, but they agreed to sign to Epic Records since the label would give the band creative freedom and wouldn't restrict them. They went to Sound City and recorded their debut self titled album that would eventually go Triple Platinum. It was because of this album that RATM could perform at Lollapalooza in 1993. The album had fantastic tracks such as "Killing in the Name of" "Take The Power Back", "Know Your Enemy", and "Freedom". They toured extensively with this album, and later in 1996, they would record their second album; Evil Empire
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| RATM in the early days! |
Evil Empire featured great tracks like "Bulls on
Parade", "Tire Me", and "Down Rodeo". The album got
them to the number one spot at the Billboard 200 and garnered them more fame.
They were able to tour more with better acts such as Limp Bizkit, Wu Tang Clan,
and more. They would later go on to release two more records, "The Battle
of Los Angeles" in 1999, and their cover album "Renegades" in
2000. Both of these albums had great tracks, but they did not meet with as much
success as their predecessors did.
My Thoughts:
It should be noted that Rage Against the Machine is my favorite band of all time, and that their self titled debut is my favorite album of all time, plus it's the album that influences me the most as a musician. I feel it has really powerful tracks and loud ones at that. Loud in the sense that there is only one guitarist, one bassist, one drummer, one vocalist, and a tad bit of guitar overdubs. Otherwise, the album is very raw and hard hitting. Although I was never a huge fan of rap or rap lyrics in general, Zack De La Roche fits the band amazingly and raps on important social topics, as well as political ones. Their later works such as "Evil Empire", and "Battle of Los Angeles" are great records as well. What draws me to the band the most is the groove that the bassist incorporates into the tracks. It keeps the songs moving and he fits in great with Brad Wilk, the drummer of the band. Tom Morello's crazy guitar effects, and heavy riffs never cease to amaze me, and I simply cannot wait to hear more of his solo work or work with Street Sweeper Social Club. It should also be noted that although "Battle of Los Angeles" did not get as much attention as their self titled debut, the album still has one of my favorite Rage tracks of all time, "War Within a Breath". The band overall is a strong act, and although they might not be everyone's cup of tea, no one can deny that they are a powerful band and stood out in the 90's for their heavy, but groovy riffs, tight rhythm section, and its controversial vocals.
It should be noted that Rage Against the Machine is my favorite band of all time, and that their self titled debut is my favorite album of all time, plus it's the album that influences me the most as a musician. I feel it has really powerful tracks and loud ones at that. Loud in the sense that there is only one guitarist, one bassist, one drummer, one vocalist, and a tad bit of guitar overdubs. Otherwise, the album is very raw and hard hitting. Although I was never a huge fan of rap or rap lyrics in general, Zack De La Roche fits the band amazingly and raps on important social topics, as well as political ones. Their later works such as "Evil Empire", and "Battle of Los Angeles" are great records as well. What draws me to the band the most is the groove that the bassist incorporates into the tracks. It keeps the songs moving and he fits in great with Brad Wilk, the drummer of the band. Tom Morello's crazy guitar effects, and heavy riffs never cease to amaze me, and I simply cannot wait to hear more of his solo work or work with Street Sweeper Social Club. It should also be noted that although "Battle of Los Angeles" did not get as much attention as their self titled debut, the album still has one of my favorite Rage tracks of all time, "War Within a Breath". The band overall is a strong act, and although they might not be everyone's cup of tea, no one can deny that they are a powerful band and stood out in the 90's for their heavy, but groovy riffs, tight rhythm section, and its controversial vocals.
Take The Power Back- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-l01lOKj3k
Killing in the Name Of- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxk3c_SbWMg
War Within a Breath- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RY5vTcLBnNk
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