Top Ten Songs by Rage Against the Machine

As Rage Against the Machine began to make their mark on the rock scene in the mid-90’s, fans gravitated to the band for their strong, unpredictable guitar-driven sound and intense, anger-fueled political lyrics.

But even as Rage's popularity soared, it always seemed as if they didn’t get the attention and acclaim they deserved because of the fact that they were a rap-rock band and were lumped in with some of the lesser acts of their time.

So that’s why I was surprised to see their name brought up during a VH1 special discussing the top overall musical acts of the 90’s.

Now that the band has essentially disbanded (and become Audioslave with new singer Chris Cornell), it seems as if people are starting to realize just how revolutionary they were, especially in regards to Tom Morello’s guitar wizardry.

These are the ten best Rage Against the Machine songs in my opinion:

10. Guerrilla Radio-

This was the first single off of “Battle of Los Angeles” and a good one at that. It’s a little catchier and by the book than your typical Rage song, but it’s got strong lyrics and builds up to an intense Morello guitar finale.

9. Wake Up-

Taken off their first album, this song doesn’t have the same sharp pacing and concise lyrics that later Rage songs do, but it hums along with pure emotion and raw guitar-fueled energy, in accordance with most of the songs off of Rage Against the Machine’s self-titled debut album.

8. War Within a Breath-

The last track on the well-received third album “Battle of Los Angeles,” this song (and the one preceeding it, Ashes in the Fall) was a bit overlooked coming at the end of a string of radio hits.

The best part of this track is the way it shifts between a mix of classic heavy guitar riffs and rap and another combination of distortion and confident half-spoken, half-sung rantings. Lead singer Zack De La Rocha gives one of his more inspired performances, which is saying a mouthful considering how revved up he usually is.