The year was 1992. George H. W. Bush was President. The nation was still reeling from the aftermath of the L.A. riots. Social unrest and political dissent were so palpable you could almost smell them in the air. What a perfect time for the world to be introduced to Rage Against the Machine with a big, angry middle finger to the establishment.
On Nov. 3, 1992, RATM—vocalist Zack de la Rocha, guitarist Tom Morello, bassist Tim Commerford., and drummer Brad Wilk—kicked in doors and set fire to the status quo with the self-titled debut album. The very first song is called “Bombtrack“. They, quite literally, said, “F**k you. I won’t do what you tell me,” to every hierarchical authority figure there was. (Track 2: “Killing in the Name”.)
I mean, even the cover of the album was controversial. It’s a photograph of Vietnamese monk Thích Quảng Đức publicly setting himself on fire on a busy Saigon road as a final protest against the South Vietnamese government’s persecution of Buddhists. It doesn’t get much clearer than that.
Rage Against the Machine released their self-titled debut album 34 years ago today
Musically, Rage Against the Machine’s debut record was a groundbreaking example of blending funk and hip-hop with hardcore punk and heavy metal music. Other bands had done versions of this, but no one perfected—and still hasn’t—like RATM.
While “Killing in the Name” certainly emerged as the biggest song on the project, there’s no denying the importance of tracks like “Bullet in the Head” and “Freedom“. These are songs that hit remarkably hard, both rhythmically and ideologically, which set the pace for how the band would develop over the next several years.
We cannot underestimate the impact of more experimental moments, however, like “Settle for Nothing“. Which I am convinced was inspired by early sludge metal. One of the main reasons I feel I’m right here is that Rage Against the Machine’s debut album was produced by GGGarth.
In his early 30s at the time, Garth would go on to be an acclaimed producer who worked on the Melvins’ Houdini album. He even received a Grammy nomination for his work on RATM’s album, in the Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical category.
Rage Against the Machine tapped some famous rock friends to feature on their first album
Oh, and then there’s Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan doing guest vocals on “Know Your Enemy“. And Stephen Perkins of Jane’s Addiction providing additional percussion. Genuinely, this record had everything you could want in early 90s music, and some stuff you didn’t know you wanted.
To this day, it remains one of Rage Against the Machine’s biggest projects. But it also stands as a beacon of indignation, a voice for the voiceless, and a refusal to assimilate.
Photo by Lindsay Brice/Getty Images
The post Rewind to 1992: The Rage Against the Machine Album That Gave the Establishment the Middle Finger appeared first on VICE.
