Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine were the most politically confrontational band in mainstream rock, and Tom Morello's guitar was their weapon. His ability to make a guitar sound like a turntable, a helicopter, or a siren. using nothing but standard equipment and an imagination unconstrained by convention. gave the band a sonic identity that was instantly recognizable. Zack de la Rocha's rapping was a delivery system for Marxist, anticolonial, and antiauthoritarian fury.\n\nTheir self titled debut is one of the most powerful rock albums ever made, every track a clenched fist aimed at institutional power. "Killing in the Name" became an anthem of defiance that crossed every demographic line. Their breakup was inevitable. a band that angry can't sustain itself forever. but their reunions proved the rage hadn't dimmed.
Key Albums
"Killing in the Name," "Bombtrack," "Bullet in the Head." A debut that sounds like a revolution.
"Bulls on Parade" and "People of the Sun." Heavier and funkier than the debut.
"Guerrilla Radio" and "Sleep Now in the Fire." Their most sonically diverse and commercially successful.
Why They Matter
Rage Against the Machine proved that radical leftist politics and mainstream rock success weren't mutually exclusive, and Tom Morello expanded the vocabulary of the electric guitar more than any player since Hendrix.