The Battle of Los Angeles [PA]

Performer: Rage Against the Machine
Engineer: Sugar D; Nick DiDia; Russ Fowler; Ryan Williams
Producer: Rage Against The Machine; Brendan O'Brien
Distributor: Sony Music Distribution (

Notes: Rage Against The Machine: Zack De La Rocha (vocals); Tom Morello (guitar); Y.tim.K (bass); Brad Wilk (drums). Recorded at A&M Studios, Hollywood, California; Royaltone Studios, North Hollywood, California; Silent Sound Studios and Southern Tracks, Atlanta, Georgia; Sunset Sound and Westlake Audio, Los Angeles, California. "Guerrilla Radio" won the 2001 Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance. THE BATTLE OF LOS ANGELES was nominated for the 2001 Grammy Award for Best Rock Album. Personnel: Zack de la Rocha (vocals); Tom Morello (guitar); Brad Wilk (drums). Audio Mixer: Brendan O'Brien. Recording information: A&M Studios, Hollywood, CA; Royalstone Studios, North Hollywood, CA; Royaltone Studios, Hollywood, CA; Silent Sound Studios, Atlanta, GA; Southern Tracks, Atlanta, GA; Sunset Sound, Hollywood, CA; Westlake Audio, Los Angeles, CA. Photographers: Steven Tirona; Danny Clinch. Arrangers: Tom Morello; Zack de la Rocha; Brad Wilk. Rage Against the Machine doesn't release rushed albums for the sake of exposure. Each of the band's deftly crafted full-length albums has defined a progression in the group's sound and musical vision. Here, Rage has taken the dynamics of its unique style to a deeper level, as evidenced on "Mic Check," which features gentle, unsettling guitar work by Tom Morello, who is deservedly hailed as an innovator of the instrument. The mid-tempo funk of "Maria" finds vocalist Zach De La Rocha telling the poetic story of an immigrant factory worker whose dream of freedom leads her unknowingly into modern-day slavery. Taking up the cause of death row inmate Mumia Abu-Jabal, De La Rocha questions the validity of his trial in "Guerilla Radio" and fleshes out his argument in "Voice of the Voiceless." "Sleep Now in the Fire" finds De La Rocha making historical references to government greed and the darker side of human nature. Though other rap/metal acts may have seemingly copped some of its musical traits, Rage Against the Machine has a conviction and passion that cannot be matched by any other band in the genre.

Rolling Stone (11/11/99, pp.129-30) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...[BATTLE] is to rap metal what Public Enemy's IT TAKES A NATION OF MILLIONS...was to hip-hop; It brings the noise..." Spin (5/01, p.112) - Ranked #47 in Spin's "50 Most Essential Punk Records". Spin (12/99, pp.213-4) - 9 out of 10 - "...a record that perfectly articulates the rap-rock youth rally they themselves spearheaded....They've become a great band that cuts through irony at the same time it piles up contradictions..." Entertainment Weekly (11/5/99, pp.79-80) - "...This is music made to agitate, not seduce, and at that it succeeds triumphantly....[RATM] make a case that there are still some things worth fighting for." - Rating: A CMJ (1/10/00, p.3) - Ranked #5 in CMJ's "Top 30 Editorial Picks [for 1999]." CMJ (11/1/99, p.3) - "...displays [Tom Morello's] virtuosic guitar talents, stomping on effects pedals and churning out resonant, body-slamming riffs that will leave you shuddering....Anger is a gift, and RATM effectively shapes the emotion into compact, blustery songs..." Vibe (12/99, p.248) - "...a faster cleaner, and far more diverse than anything [they] ever recorded....Rage's music moves confidently forward....BATTLE won't disappoint..." Urban Latino (1/00, p.82) - 3 out of 4 - "...another justice driven steamroller....their conscientious use of talent and wrath for the forces of good is surely applaudable..." Kerrang (Magazine) (p.52) - "[T]his was arguably their finest hour. Tight, focused, relentlessly heavy..." NME (Magazine) (11/6/99, p.46) - 7 out of 10 - "...This record rocks...another album of ranting, churning, slamming heavy funk-metal....Wicked!....Keep raging, mad Yank commies, your planet needs you."

While a select few hard rock bands incorporated rap into their sound (Anthrax, Faith No More, etc.), it was Rage Against The Machine that perfected and popularized the rap-metal genre in the 1990s. Unlike the aforementioned bands, the Los Angeles-based RATM was overtly political--especially in singer Zack De La Rocha's irate lyrics and vocal delivery. When De La Rocha split at the turn of the century, the rest of the band formed Audioslave with erstwhile Soundgarden singer Chris Cornell.

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