Rage Against The Machine is a group that is supposed to disturb
you. Their warcries against societal oppression and unrest have
been well documented since their self-titled debut came out in
1992, and they have assumed the position of hard rock’s
revolutionaries.
I say that
Rage Against The Machine
should
disturb you, but half the time you can’t understand what the
hell Zack De La Rocha is screaming about without the lyric sheet.
Be this as it may, more often than not the music succeeds in
hitting the target – if only there had been a little more variety
in the performances.
Guitarist Tom Morello proves himself to be one of the more
innovative masters of the six-string to hit the airwaves in a long
time, wringing out sounds that should not be possible without a
synthesizer or a rack of effects pedals. Bassist Timmy C. and
drummer Brad Wilk provide a pounding backbeat that threaten to snap
your head from your spine. Rising above the din are the screams of
De La Rocha, who could be hard rock’s answer to rappers like Ice
Cube, only without the gratuitous violence and sex.
The single that started the ball rolling for Rage Against The
Machine, “Killing In The Name,” is easily the best track on the
album. True story: the morning that I got married, I had crashed at
“Duke” Williams’ place after my bachelor party, and this was the
first song I listened to when I regained consciousness. Turned out
to be a rather nice way of ushering out my bachelor’s days.
But there are many other tracks which are just as powerful on
Rage Against The Machine. “Take The Power Back” is an
incredible track which features an aside where De La Rocha lashes
out against our school systems. “Bullet In The Head” and “Know Your
Enemy,” the latter featuring a guest appearance from Tool’s Maynard
James Keenan, also are strong points to this album.
The weakness that both album and grup have is that the novelty
of such a three-way marriage (political activism, rap and hard
rock) wears off quickly, and the music doesn’t always have the
ability to maintain such a level of intensity. By the time that
“Township Rebellion” and “Freedom” come rolling off your speakers,
you might find yourself distracted from the music and lyrics. As
much as I like the first half of
Rage Against The Machine, it took me a long time to get
through the entire disc, and it still is hard for me to finish in
one sitting.
So what’s the solution? Truth be told, there may not be –
meaning the challenge that De La Rocha and crew have is creating an
album whose intensity level keeps us riding that musical high from
beginning to end. (I have yet to finish the band’s follow-up
Evil Empire – I keep getting hooked on “Bulls On Parade”.
We’ll feature that album here soon.)
Rage Against The Machine is not an act for the kiddies; their
messages are aimed at the adults, demanding they wake up and take a
good, hard look at the world around them. Like some of the songs on
Rage Against The Machine, what you see or hear ain’t pretty,
but it sure is a powerful statement.
