Up next on the chopping block is the band that got me into playing guitar. That band being Rage Against the Machine. I went through and listened to all of their albums in order and I will pick out 3 stand out songs.
Rage Against the Machine- now I’ve heard some say that they are a hip hop band and that to me just isn’t true and it shows with this record. Oddly enough, this is probably the only band where I’ve bought each of their albums in order and wow what a debut album. Yes it has elements of hip hop with Zach’s rapping and singing. Couple that with Tom’s dj style of guitar playing. Overall a very solid and strong debut album. There are a couple songs that are filler but overall I give it 8/10.
Standouts- Bombtrack, Fistful of Steel, Wakeup
Evil Empire- now here’s where we get a little more funky and out of all their records, this one is definitely their funkiest. The solos on this one are incredible and the bass lines are very prominent here as well. I also feel as if the recording on this one was a little bit raw compared to their first album but overall a very solid album. I give this one a very solid 9/10
Standouts- Down Rodeo, Without a Face, Roll Right
Battle of Los Angeles- This is where they definitely are at their peak. This album in my opinion is their best, it has everything that a fan of this band could want. The songs are harder, more aggressive, and the solos are weirder. The songs are more cohesive and Zach is definitely angrier on this one. Sadly, this would be their last album of original material but hey 3 solid albums in a row is rare and that’s why I give this one a 10/10
Standouts- (too many to name but): Ashes in the Fall, Calm Like a Bomb, War Within a Breath
Renegades- well this is the last entry for this round but similar to Guns n Roses, their last album was an album of cover songs. Not that this is a bad album in fact it’s quite good but I just feel like they could’ve at least tried to put one or two new songs on this album but I guess inner turmoil between the guys is what broke the band. Some song choices are interesting such as a Devo cover but anyway I’ll give this one a solid 8/10.
Standouts- Microphone Fiend, The Ghost of Tom Joad, Pistol Grip Pump
This was a lot of fun and I will be doing more of these. It’s interesting to go back and listen to albums that haven’t been listened to in awhile and hopefully with Rage back together they’ll put out at least an EP. Now here we go with the album rankings (note these are my personal preferences):
- Battle of Los Angeles
- Evil Empire
- Self Titled
- Renegades
Sinister Reviews 