The Rage is Relentless

Relentless is an apt single-word description of Rage Against the Machine. Take The Power Back off their breakout self-titled album is no exception. The bass line, hi-hat, and kick drum combo that starts this whole thing off is everything I ever wanted out of my stereo. Tom Morello's electric guitar snorts and paws at the edges of the mix like a caged animal. Zack de la Rocha barks, "Bring that shit in" and the song explodes like a sonic Molotov cocktail thrown at the man. It's kinetic, angry, sincere, and sounds terrific.

The self-titled Rage Against The Machine album is legendary. It often shows up in conversations about the best rock albums of all time, usually in the top half of the list. The performances are compelling, the craft is exceptional, and the rebellious lyrical content speaks directly to the politically oppressed just as effectively as kids mad at their parents.

The sound, though, is something extraordinary. I remember first reading a phrase in the liner notes of a Rage album, "All sounds made by guitar, bass, drums, and vocals." It was a disclaimer or a claimer, perhaps. It says this music doesn't sound like anything you've heard before, but it's still legit. There's no trickery here, no faking. This is real, it's us, and we're for real.

Rage's rhythm section–bassist Tim Commerford and drummer Brad Wilk–are masters of their craft. They expertly weave beats, push and pull in sync, and build tension and release. The kick drum is thunder to Tom Morello's lightning. The snare and floor toms sounds like gunshots in the street. This album may have my favorite drum tone ever recorded. Much has been written about Morello's guitar work. He is singular when torturing his instrument to make it scratch, scream, squeal, and ultimately melt my face off.

Zack's pit bull vocals cut through the storm with aplomb. He can spit rhymes with the best of them, playing give and take with the rhythm section. Or it can draw us in with intimate whispers before becoming a sonic weapon in the next breath, matching Morello's guitar work.

I could have picked almost any track on this album, but Take the Power Back has one of my favorite intros and about a dozen other fun details worth listening for. This song is riddled with things to catch on repeat listens. A few favorites:

• 1:33 - There's a little back-and-forth moment between the chck-chck-chck guitars and drums that is really fun; it's repeated a few more times in every chorus.
• 2:30 - A bass breakdown for the ages, followed by a sublime weird-ass Morello guitar solo.
• 3:17 - A fun moment with the whole band pushing and pulling the song back and forth with Zack conducting.
• 3:40 - Angry cowbell
• 3:53 - Vocals through a megaphone.
• 4:25 - We get a reprieve with mellow melodic guitars over gentle fairy dust drums, but it's a trick. The bomb goes off again at 5:06.

I'll wrap up by saying that Rage Against the Machine is one of my favorite bands with one of my favorite sounds. Take the Power Back is one of the best ways they ever did their thing. This song is four dudes on three instruments with one mission and about a thousand exciting things to listen to. All made by guitar, bass, drums, and vocals.

Data

Song: Take The Power Back
Album: Rage Against The Machine (Album)
Artist: Rage Against The Machine
Genre: Rock, Funk, Metal
Year: 1992
Length: 5:37
Composer: Rage Against The Machine
Producer: GGGarth, Rage Against The Machine