Released – November 1992.
1. Bombtrack
2. Killing in the name
3. Take the power back
4. Settle for nothing
5. Bullet in the head
6. Know your enemy
7. Wake up
8. Fistful of steel
9. Township rebellion
10. Freedom
Length 52:56
I was 14 years old when one of my friends introduced me to RATM (Acronym king again...) I acquired it from my local record shop despite the Parental Guidance sticker on it (I don’t think I would consider an album without one of those legendary stickers).
From the first bass rift of “Bombtrack” I was absolutely hooked, and although it is only 10 songs long it was played repeatedly on my tape player (it was 1993 so yeah I had a tape player) until I broke the tape!My response to this was of course to go and buy another tape.
It is a feat of musical genius the way Tom Morello makes all those riffs appear from the same type of guitar that I play myself (as in 6 strings, a neck and the other guitar parts!) the solo from 2009 Xmas no. 1 “Killing in the Name” (I bought 7 copies...your welcome!) is simply an unknown entity to even experienced guitarists.
Timmy C and Brad Wilk on bass and Drums respectively provide the support to Morello’s genius but it is the main man Zack de la Rocha who makes this band what it is, his unique blend of rap/screaming/anger/singing is the catalyst and force that drives this album to be what it is.
There is not one dull moment on this record and hearing the eponymous line “Fuck you, I won’t do what you tell me” screamed over and over again is one of those great moments in music history.
For those of you who have never heard this album or RATM at all (I’ll assume you have been living under a rock!) it is a heavy metal/rock/rap album, but to be honest that doesn’t describe it fairly, their name tells you that they are politically minded and the lyrics only bolster that sentiment.
I still play this album all the time and it still fills me with the same level of energy and emotion it did the very first time I heard it, its longevity speaks volumes as to the quality of the writing and I challenge anybody not to feel something upon hearing it.
I was lucky enough to see RATM at Download festival in June 2010 and even though it’s been nearly 20 years since they formed they still know how to rock very, very hard, it was always a wish of mine to see them play live and now I can say I have.
In conclusion I feel that this album can genuinely be considered as not just one of the best heavy metal albums of all time but one of the best albums of any genre of all time.
Marcus Mitchell – September 2010.
