WARNING: I can't shut up.
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My first-ever introduction to this mindblowing band was in 2018. I was a freshman in high school, and I discovered them thanks to the Matrix with the iconic "Wake Up." Despite not being a single, it's more than earned its place as one of the band's all-time best.
And since then, and especially during these past 1 or 2 years (for depressingly obvious reasons), they've remained on my heavy listening rotation. Tom, Tim and Brad all each are giant musical influences for me on guitar, bass and drums respectively. Tom is THE reason I wanted to get a Telecaster, just so I could be like him (and sure enough, I'm blessed to have gotten an all-black standard player Tele for Christmas in 2021. I call it "Baby").
And one of the greatest states of catharsis I felt was watching Bullet in the Head live at Pinkpop 1993, and seeing Zack go fucking INSANE during the final breakdown. It's a huge release of wrath an artist taps into, and I've felt it before listening to Linkin Park or Tupac.
Additionally, my older cousin who I'm pretty close with is a HUGE Rage fan too, and is also responsible for encouraging me to get more into rap/hip-hop last year (Outkast's Stankonia was my gateway drug). So RATM is like "our" band that bonds us.
But enough yapping, here's what you clicked on the title for!:
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1992 Self-titled:
Their best album. Hands down. It's the best mixed, the most complex, the most vigorous, and these 10 tracks continue to stand the test of time as reformist, crushing defiant anthems. It's also the only RATM album where Tom does more "traditional" sounding shreddy solos (see Take the Power Back and Know your Enemy). But it's balanced well with the DJ-inspired scratches and straight-up weird noises he's known for like on Bullet and that incredible, frenzied final solo of Wake Up.
The only track that doesn't do a ton for me is Fistful of Steel tbh. It's still good and all, but I rarely go out of my way to listen to it. Could've swapped it out with one of the stellar b-sides like Darkness of Greed or Narrows. Mindset's a Threat also slaps.
On the other hand, then you got Settle for Nothing, which I see everywhere be considered as the weakest on the album.
I couldn't disagree more.
I LOVE Settle for Nothing! It gives off such a foreboding, creeping atmosphere during the verses. A chance to let you breathe and sink in all the tragedy the protaganist has faced: a broken homelife, stuck in jail due to gang life, shitty mental health, and how all of this is the result of broader, societal corruption. Zack just WAILS (as does the guitar) during those choruses! And then Tom's bittersweet clean, sweeping solo comes in, the slow pace of the song keeps punching you down like a giant hammer, you feel the desperation in Zack's voice....it hits me in ALL the right spots.
As for other highlights, Killing in the Name is as timeless as ever (it's a song that makes me want to melt some ice), Bullet's aforementioned outro is palpable, and Wake Up and Freedom are top 5, maybe top 3 material. They're Drop-D bangers of the highest, most climactic caliber, and are pretty much made to close out Rage shows with bangs.
This is a personal theory, but I feel like the band doesn't seem to play Wake Up that often. Iirc, the only time they played it in 2000 was at a Japan show, but that was it. They didn't play it at Finsbury 2010, I think it was nowhere on the setlists of their last few shows in 2022, etc. My theory is that considering it's one of their most iconic songs thanks to the Matrix, it's a song that feels almost too good to play live regularly, so they keep it on standby or something when they decide it's time to unleash it onto crowds or somethin'.
Evil Empire:
For the longest time, I would've considered this my least favorite RATM album. The mixing was a lot rawer, rougher, and almost muffled compared to how clean the debut is. Plus the super yellow album cover I didn't feel fit them aesthetically compared to the debut and Battle of LA. I also felt like they barely ever play anything that isn't Bulls on Parade and People of the Sun live, once they started supporting Battle of LA. Maaayyyybbbbeeeee you'll get Vietnow and Down Rodeo, but I would've loved to see Revolver, Snakecharmer, and Wind Below get more spin live.
But that was all in the past, because holy hell this album really grew on me!
I gave it another chance last year, and the mental picture I envision is a much more Mexican/Latino edge. Like I'm out there in the broad, dead heat of the sun in the fields (as reflected on the album's yellow color scheme), and the more consistent bombast and more straightforward heaviness is more than in line with Rage's ethos of societal vengeance and reform. Almost like Zack's vocals are being more restrained in the mix because if the production was cleaner, it'd be fucking scary (in a good way, but still).
Highlights for me include the Drop D run of Revolver to Tire Me. Revolver to my knowledge is one of the few apolitical Rage songs, though it still tackles heavy subject matter: that being domestic abuse. And it's since become one of my go-to songs for whenever I want to reflect and empathize on abuse victims and survivors. It's a prevalent, and more intimate fear compared to global corruption in a sense, since it shows how said corruption and trauma starts in the home. "His spit is worth more than her work." Zack is a lyrical master.
Snakecharmer rips shit up like it's grabbing you by both sides of your head to stare at the sweet indulgent influence of greed on people, and the Grammy-winning deep cut Tire Me is a fast-tempo rocker that has the musicians channel their punk roots.
Down Rodeo is one of the most memorable and probably my most listened to track off the album. Again, these lyrics cut fucking deep: "these people ain't seen a brown-skinned man since their grandparents bought one!" finishing with a Bullet in the Head style explosive outro. And Wind Below has one of Tom's all-time best riffs and is one of the most distinctive tracks of their discog similar to Ashes in the Fall, where there's more focus on building tension.
The Battle of Los Angeles:
Rage had already proven to be runaway commercial successes (which is honestly unprecedented for an overtly politically-charged band like them on a major label), but I feel like the Battle of LA era (1999-2000) was the height of that. We had the legendary Woodstock show, the Mexico show, the final Grand Olympic auditorium shows...
As for the album itself, upon relisten, I feel the mixing is a lot more saturated, which probably could've been toned down. Though Zack's vocals have never felt more clearer, and it rules. This record is probably their overall most accessible, if only because they drop F bombs on only 2 of the 12 tracks. Plus because of its aforementioned clearer production, and admittedly, how a good chunk of the songs sonically sound....jeez, I don't wanna say "the same", especially since there's still absolute gems here, but compared to the debut and EE, but by comparison, the run of Born as Ghosts to New Millennium Homes structurally are pretty similar to each other. Sleep Now isn't rapped as much, Broken Man is the Revolver of this album in that it's a slower banger, Mic Check is more subdued where Zack's lyricism and vocals are centerstage....but then you have Geurilla Radio which, hot take incoming, I'm not super crazy on. Again, like Fistful of Steel, still a good song, but probably could've been left off the album (despite being a deserved big single either way).
With all that said, some of the band's all-time best material is found on Sleep Now in the Fire, Born of a Broken Man, Maria, and Ashes in the Fall. Sleep Now has another iconic Morellian riff that just scorches (and is super fun to play along to), plus probably the band's most well-remembered music video. I LOVE the riff of Maria, plus the heavy lifting Timmy C's bass does (which can be said for pretty much most Rage songs in incredible fashion) with perfect 16th-notes. Ashes in the Fall (besides sounding like the Halloween theme, lol) is nothing short of haunting. It paints a very cold, dystopian picture of an arid global/American climate you don't want to believe is real, but then you hear the fascist sing and realize it's pretty much EXACTLY what nationalists like Chuck Kirk, Shane Winnings, Dale fucking Partridge, etc. actually buy into. All of it culminating into another crushing breakdown of "THERE BE NO OASIS HERE!!!!!!" With a sprinkling of Settle for Nothing-esque clean guitar tones at the end.
Lastly, Born of a Broken Man I view as the aforementioned "Revolver" of the album: drop D, but also apolitical while still expressing mature subject matter. It's the most personal track for Zack as he reflects on the tumultuous relationship with his Dad growing up, being the activist, unstable painter he was. Which he channels in the beautifully cathartic chorus with the saturated heaviness at its best. It's like atomic bombs of music and emotion are being blasted in your ear drums. It's a very monolithic wall of sound similar to what Evil Empire had, and it's an utter triumph.
Before I forget!: I love the screechy as fuck solo on Born as Ghosts, and the juicy, satisfying beeps and boops of New Millennium Homes' solo.
Sidenote: while "Voice of the Voiceless" is about Mumia abdu-jamal, the label of "voice of the voiceless" also applied to St. Oscar Romero, who basically, think of him as the MLK of El Salvador. Both my parents are from El Salvador, and Romero and my grandpa were my Dad's two biggest role models. I researched Romero and the 80s Salvadoran Civil War, and it's helped me grow a stronger fondness and sense of importance towards history, education and understanding societal issues.
Tangent: Zack's interview with Noam Chomsky is unfortunately pretty awkward to rewatch these days for again, obvious reasons. In fairness, this was well before Noam's defined association with Jeff as a friend occurred, as far as we know anyway. But even so, it's beyond disheartening knowing where the famous MIT academic would end up. I can only imagine how the band must feel towards the revelation, considering how much of a left-wing hero Chomsky was for a lot of people.
Renegades:
Lastly, we have Rage's last ever album, that being 12 covers called "Renegades". I'll admit I won't spend too much time on it since what really mattered to me was focusing on the band's original material, but overall, it's still a perfectly worthy release if you need more Rage in your life. I'm not super familiar with most of the original versions (though the original soft, folky Tom Joad, plus the famous live duet Tom's done with Springsteen are excellent), but sonically, they're all pretty consistent to EE and BoLA: straight ahead groovy hard rock with Zack spitting.
That said, it was produced by good ol' Rick Rubin, and the Loudness War was a thing considering CDs were the main music-listening format at the time, which leads to easily the band's weakest mixed album. It's very apparent on Tom Joad, where I can barely hear the bass drum! It's so buried in there I can't feel it in my chest. That, plus Brad's fat snare tone makes the whole track feel more like an overproduced demo at worst. Still captures an essential heavy, rebellious spirit, don't get me wrong, but compare this to them playing Tom Joad at Woodstock, and it's night and day: live, they play it slightly faster, the rhythm section (Tim and Brad) is more prominent, Zack breaking in tears yelling "NO REST!", and plus, Tom plays a doublenecked SG (Jimmy Page is another known guitar hero of his, as well as mine). "I'm Housin'" live from the LA auditorium also sounds better than the original recording.
Overall, a nice release with highlights, but it's more of a "bonus" album than a mainline part of their discography imo. But not "Fuck tha Police-cover" levels of niche either.
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Aaaaaaaaaaaaaand that's about it! Hope you enjoyed what you read, and insight in the comments are always encouraged!
Rage forever. Never stop questioning, and remember that Anger is a gift. Use it wisely. And I ain't gonna stop pushing back against ideological corruption any time soon.
Majoring in history was a very meaningful, life-altering point in my post-high school life.
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I yap a lot. It's a problem.
