Rage Against the Machine + Audioslave + Street Sweeper Social Club + Prophets of Rage Complete Discography review

Rage Against the Machine and friends Complete Discography review

Rage Against the Machine is one of those bands that for me, there was a before and after the first time I heard one of their songs,  which was "People of the Sun" on Top Ten US MTV, about 20 years ago ( holy shit I'm getting old jajaja) ,  even though I was starting to get into music, that song set me on the path in becoming a music nerd and also to chose to play the Bass over the guitar, it's weird that even though Rage had such a prominent guitar player I got really into Tim the bass players playing ,  I must add that I was already becoming a Chili Peppers fan so it was the final nail in the coffin, I strapped on a bass and have been playing ever since, that said  here we go with my review of every Rage studio album that has been edited enjoy. ( And I would love to hear your opinions).

Rage Against the Machine

Rage Against the Machine (1992)

Genre: Rap Metal, Funk Metal

This albums a major game changer, Rage with 311 actually forefront the birth of a New genre Rap Metal and to a lesser degree Funk Metal. And on the other hand Tom Morello's super innovating style of play just redefined the way many guitar players played for the next 20 year veering away from traditional solos or shredding and soloing using super cool effects (Note Tom is a very well rounded guitar player he knows his craft unlike many of the copy cats that came after that depended only on effects and less on playing). Now personally it took me a long time to get around to listen to this album even though I knew how to play it almost from front to back thanks to a live VHS that I had of these guys, and  up to this day a always warm up on my bass playing "Killing in the Name of", plus I actually auditioned to my second band playing that song.

Zack de la Rocha rapping and lyrics are just fantastic, he doesn't hold back on his political attack, even though I don't see eye to eye politically now that I'm older, Zack's lyrics do something very important they get you thinking. and as a treat of  Maynard James Kenan  ( Tool, A perfect Circle and Pusifer)  on one of the tracks.

As I said before Tom's solo work just changed everything, but I mustn't forget his ability to make colossal riffs  that are surprisingly refreshing that drive the songs. Tim Commerford  from my point of view is Rage's secret weapon, even though Tom gets all the attention Tim's  bass lines are fantastic and innovative, and one must note this is the only album that he's slaps on one of the tracks. Brad Wilk is a super solid drummers, that has a hard hard rock style hitting hard, but never neglecting the groove.

All the songs on this album are super classics and the album sounds great.

Overall: 58

One of my favorite T Shirts ever had the album cover on it.

Rage Against the Machine

Evil Empire (1996)

Genre: Rap Metal, Alternative

As I said in the introduction, that when I Saw People of the Sun video it just sparked something in me that lead me to become a total music nerd, now this album was one of the very first album that I ever went out on my own and bought with my savings. This is my favorite Rage album, it sound heavier, arngier and a little bit darker. Zack's lyrics are pretty hardcore on this album like on "Down Rodeo". Tom experiments with more pedals and pulls of one of the coolest  and dumbmist  guitar tricks ever simulating a DJ scratching on his turntables on Bulls on Parade. Tim has some really cool base lines on this album while Brad just hit those drum like there is no tomorrow.

Even though the band doesn't break new ground on this album they perfect their style of playing and writing, the bad thing of this album is that the band drops the funk metal part of their sound.

Overall: 55

  

Live and Rare (1998)

Genre: Rap Metal, Alternative Metal

This mostly live album that has some nice treats, we can hear a pretty laid back y organic Rage, Tom improves a bit and pulls off some nice fills and Tim and Brad just are solid as hell. The band play a cover "Black Steel in the Hour of Choas" which is a Hip Hop classic of Public Enemy and the cool thing is that Chuck D  collaborates on the vocals with Zack. There are two other covers "Fuck the Police" from NWA and the  "Ghost of Tom Joad" by Bruce Springsteen, both interpretations kick ass. The only miss fire on this Album is "Hadda be Playing on the Jukebox" which is poem of Allen Ginsberg  that the band adds music while Zack recites, is just too long.

Darkness  and Clear the Lane are  previously unreleased  studio songs that are OK, when you hear them you understand why it got cut out of the main album.

 Overall: 56

Battle for Los Angeles (1999)

Genre: Rap Metal, Alternative Metal, Funk Metal

From my point of view this is probably Rage's weakest album, the songs have become a little too predictable, and even though Tom does cool stuff on the guitar  he's become over reliant on pedals and what crazy stuff he's going to do, and this has affected the song writing. On the other hand Zack just takes himself to seriously his angry political lyrics are starting to repeat themselves. The good thing is that Tims get to shine a bit on this album he does a cool intro to "Calm like Bomb" and he uses on a couple of songs a super cool octave wha wha pedal effect that's insane.

In general the album is really good, it much more radio friendly than other album of theirs .

Overall: 57.1 

Renegades (2000)

Genre: Rap Metal, Alternative Metal, Hardcore Punk

Renegades is a breath of fresh in Rage's catalogue, it's a cover album and some of the tracks are very well reworked. You have songs from Bob Dylan to Africka Bambaataa, from Bruce Stringsteen to Cypress Hill, it a pretty eclectic album but hey pull it off, Zack is the only one having some issues moving out of his confort space of exclusivly rapping. And one most note the albums sound and mix are fantastic.

The only bad thing of the album is the MC 5 cover Kick out the Jams that for some reason the band slows down the tempo to the song just killing the F U punk vibe that the song originally had.

Overall: 55

Rage Broke up after this album.

Audioslave

I was pretty happy when I heard that the guys from Rage had joined forces with Chris Cornell from Sound Garden, it was like a team up from heaven, to hear Rage's massive riff coupled up with such a talented  singer, but the romance didn't last long the band the band dissolved after four year playing together but thank god they left a great song catalogue behind. 

Audioslave (2002)

Genre: Hard Rock, Alternative Rock, Alternative Metal

The instrumental members of Rage sound totally reinvigorated, while Chris Cornell just does a perfect job, the band just comes out swinging. The Led Zeppelin aspect of Rage's sound, the riff heavy songs with a very good and grounded hard rock drumming is probably the strongest aspect of the album that works really well with Chris's style of singing, and Cornell is pretty aggressive with his voice he put a couple of scary yells in there. Tom trying new stuff: new pedals and dabbling with traditional rock solos, Tim use again those insane Wha Wha's that he was using in Rage's last album Battle of LA. The album sounds great super heavy and the track list is just fantastic, this album is good from front to back.

Overall: 61

Out of Exile (2005)

Genre: Hard Rock, Alternative Rock,

It a good album, but it's incredible to hear that the band of this caliber on its second production they sound like they are already starting to run out of steam.

Is it me or does the riff from "Your Time is Come" is the same or very similar riff  to "Cochise" from their first album, WTF. I had really anticipated this album because  Audio's first production  was fantastic, but this album just fall flat at moments. It does has its good moments but the bad thing is that the alternative aspect of the band is more subdued they try to be a more standard hard rock band, and some of the songs a very effective, but some tracks leave Morello in a uncomfortable place when he tries to do his more weirder stuff, some of the stuff that he does on the guitar seem out of place, but some of his more normal guitar solos are fantastic.

Overall: 51.6 

 Revelations  (2006)

Genre: Hard Rock, Alternative Rock, Funk Rock

Man I do not like this album the songs are just not there, these dudes are not inspired at all, there are couple good tracks especially the first three, but after that  most of the album just sucks.  Tom pedal tricks start to become repetitive and some of the riffs too.  The only good thing on this album is that Brad Wilk plays the drums with a more funk groove at moments, "Jewel of the Summer" time is great funk rock track that is like a Oasis in a desert in the middle of the album.

Overall: 46 

Street Sweepers Social Club

Street Sweepers Social Club (2009)

  Genre: Rap Rock, Alternative Rock

Here's a Tom Morello side project, which shows him diving back into rap rock collaborating will Boots Riley from The Coup, and the result sadly  is a incredibly mediocre and uninspired, too bad.

Overall: 38

 

Prophets of Rage

Prophets of Rage (2017)

Genre: Rap Rock, Funk Rock

Even though it's Rage comfort food, I'm  just happy to hear  Tom, Brad and Tim rocking it out, but objectively this album is pretty mediocre. The band seems watered down, some of Tom's wacky guitar solos just fall completely flat and to my surprise  Chuck  D and B-Real come off as a stall fill-ins for Zack, they lack his attack, grit or any political substance.

Overall: 52.3