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Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine


3.0
good

Review

by Hatshepsut USER (13 Reviews)
June 8th, 2006 | 51 replies


Release Date: 1992 | Tracklist


You can call me an ex-lover-of-Rage-Against-the-Machine’s-self-titled-album.

Something like that.

Months ago, I was like most of Sputnik. I loved Rage Against the Machine’s self titled album. I went with the crowd, saying something to the likes of “Oh my gawd the album kicks ass, if you don’t like it screw you, I love it and I’m cool for that.” I was in the dark of why I loved it so much. Yes, I did listen to it and yes, it did sound cool. I liked Zach de la Rocha’s rapping. I loved the smooth bass lines. I liked the nice sounding, yet very easy to play guitar riffs.

But the album is boring.

I pulled the CD out a couple of days ago for the first time in a couple of months, looking to re-fall-in-love with it. As it started playing, I became immersed in the opening riff of Bombtrack, then the smooth guitar and bass line with Zach yelling “Hey yo it’s just another bombtrack!” When he started rapping, I sat back, relaxed, saying “This is why I pulled this album out.” The verses went on, and I sat there admiring the strong political lyrics Zach was spitting out. The chorus came, and...what do I hear? “Burn, burn, yes you’re gonna burn!” eightfold. “Okay” I said. He repeats the same line eight times, Zach does. Yes, it's energetic, since he's yelling it over loud power chords on the guitar, seemingly to make a point. But repeating one line eight times? It gets old. But hey, it's only the first song right? The rest of the song sounds awesome. I like it.

But it wasn’t just one song. To my shock and disbelief, it was every single song. From Bombtrack to Freedom, and everything in between, all the songs are incredibly repetitive at one point or another. Worst of all, most, if not all the songs (excluding one which I will mention later) start off very strong with great lyrics. The fact that it's Zach de la Rocha spitting out great rhymes rapping the lyrics makes it all the better. Settle for Nothing is an example of those great lyrics, such as Yes, I dwell in hell, but it’s a hell that I can grip/I tried to grip my family but I slipped or If ignorance is bliss, then knock the smile off my face. Bullet in Your Head also had very good lyrics, particularly Just victims of the in-house drive-by/They say jump, you say how high?, but this too is repeated excessivly, as is A bullet in your head!! A bullet in your head!! A bullet in your fucking head!! . Although I do enjoy the energy Rage Against the Machine has, they just may be trying a little too hard. They're very angry politically (and I mean very)

Killing in the Name drags the most, and on top of that, there’s hardly any rapping at all. It's my least favorite song on the album lyrically. The [url=http://www.ratm.net/lyrics/kil.html]lyrics[/url] are hardly existent. The song isn’t a short minute and a half filler, yet there are only two verses and the rest of the song is six different lines repeated many, many times. However, it is very strong musically, with a very groovy bass line, with the matching guitar riff. But as I mentioned, the lyrics are weak, making the song drag a bit.

Consequentially, my favorite song is Know Your Enemy, a song with minimal repetitveness and maximum good [url= http://www.ratm.net/lyrics/kno.html]lyrics[/url] and rapping, once again. There’s a good guitar riff, also, and on top of the great lyric writing and rapping, there is hardly anything to hold this back from being the best song on the album. And bonus points! In the bridge of (yes I’m a Tool fan) , Maynard James Keenan of Tool and (former?) project A Perfect Circle makes the song that much more enjoyable, with I've got no patience now/So sick of complacence now, kinda rapping it. It's something to look forward to, since it's so unexpected.

I have already mentioned the guitars a bit. They're not that much more than power chords, with an occasional solo. Fistful of Steel has a great opening riff, with the palm muting and I don’t even know what they do after that. However, the whining guitar note that goes from one ear to the next is extremely annoying, and the riff towards the end gets annoying too. There’s a cool little solo, which makes the song a little better. There’s also a fun little solo in Township Rebellion and a great riff in the bridge of Freedom. A couple of other songs with a enjoyable guitar parts are Bombtrack, or Take the Power Back. While it's true that guitar riffs are generally gonna be repeated throughout the song, they have to be enjoyable. Rage Against the Machine has several enjoyable ones, already mentioned, but unfortunately there are a couple of poor ones, such as in Settle for Nothing, to name a few.

Besides the lyrics and rapping, the thing I enjoy most on the album is the basslines. They give the songs a groovy feel, especially in songs like Take the Power Back, or Wake Up. It gives the songs and ultimately the entire album a much more enjoyable atmosphere, making the listener more relaxed while listening to Zach rap angrily about politics. It's a very interesting concept because it's pretty hard to be relaxed while listening to the rapping. However, it's somehow done. The drums, well, are just there. The drum set is a big metronome, not very creative or important, just keeping the beat, with hardly a show of talent to be heard.

There was hardly anything to hold back my disappointment when I listened to the album for the first time in several months, hearing one section of a song making the whole thing mediocre. Of course there are great songs, the ones that are not repetitive (Know Your Enemy comes to mind), but there are some very poor repetitive tracks such as Killing in the Name. It’s enjoyable, yes, with the rapping and bass lines, but only to a certain extent.

Overall Album Rating: 3/5



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user ratings (4903)
4.4
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other reviews of this album
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Comments:Add a Comment 
Hatshepsut
June 8th 2006


1997 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

I don't really like this review. Oh well, it had to be done :upset:

Two-Headed Boy
June 8th 2006


4527 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

I don't really like this review.


Heh, neither do I.

Oh well, it had to be done


No it didn't

Aw, well, it's okay. A little vague, and calling things "boring" don't help at all. This Message Edited On 06.08.06

mx
Moderator
June 8th 2006


752 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0

Anything but boring

Brain Dead
June 8th 2006


1150 Comments


Perhaps a little more detail could be added on why it was boring, but I'm willing to listen.

supraman_2
June 8th 2006


146 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0

I can't say I agree with your review, but it is a different perspective on it. I don't think their goal was to create something that was forever twisting and turning like a Pelican song. Some songs do have a more repetitive feel to them but the album never bores me. Turn it up loud and go crazy.

Hatshepsut
June 8th 2006


1997 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

Sigh I was afraid of this. Oh well, time to edit.



Edit: Damn I'm lazy right now. What do I do to make it better? :upset:This Message Edited On 06.08.06

Thor
June 8th 2006


10357 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0

Blasphemy.

supraman_2
June 8th 2006


146 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0

One thing I have noticed about this album is it sounds best when you play it on a good sound system. The songs convey more power, it's not like some albums where it sounds great no matter what you play it on, it's gotta be played loud too. The way Tom gets lazy and does that high pitched note on Fistful of Steel annoys me too, it's like the noise on Maria from BOLA. Still love this record though.

moogooguypan
June 8th 2006


23 Comments


For an opinion you knew was going to be unpopular, you could have backed it up a lot more. But I agree with you, this band is overrated and this album does get very repetitive--but that's not to say I don't love RATM. They just sound cool, man! Which is how they get away with being so repetitive sometimes...their sound was so original when they first started making it that people were willing to listen to the same thing 8 times in a row.

south_of_heaven 11
June 8th 2006


5614 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

Burn, burn, yes you're gonna burn for a review that belittles a great album without giving much support

Sorry, had to do that. But I read through the review, and I didn't think it was all that great. You really want to stay away from using lines like "very boring", as another commentor pointed out early.

Axis Bold As Love
June 8th 2006


5 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0

this review wasnt good as you didnt really say why it was boring. It is their best album and it really isnt boring!

Bron-Yr-Aur
June 8th 2006


4405 Comments


He said why he thought it was boring. Read the review again. Honestly, I didn't think the review was all that bad. Certainly not deserving of a 0 out of 2.This Message Edited On 06.08.06

Hatshepsut
June 8th 2006


1997 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

Meh, I thought I did. Basically just repeating the same lines over and over again in the same song. Darn, my first bad review

south_of_heaven 11
June 8th 2006


5614 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

I didn't think it was horrible. With a few good edits here and there, it could flow well. Just give some more details, that's all.

I also didnt neg this review, in hopes that you would edit it.

Hatshepsut
June 8th 2006


1997 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

Yes sir

Hatshepsut
June 8th 2006


1997 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

Oy I've edited it some. Please re-read it and tell me how it is.

Brain Dead
June 8th 2006


1150 Comments


You did a nice job editing. You added some key details that support your idea, I think that's enough for me to reverse my negative vote.

WARPATH_88
June 8th 2006


514 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

I was blown away when I heard this album. I though it was far from boring or repetitive.

Hatshepsut
June 8th 2006


1997 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

Well so was I, but I was blind

Thanks Brain Dead.

south_of_heaven 11
June 8th 2006


5614 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

Better now. This time you supported your thoughts, and though I still strongly disagree, it's enough for me to click 'yes'.



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