10 Albums Turning 20 In 2019
8. Rage Against The Machine - The Battle Of Los Angeles
By the time they got to their third record, Rage Against the Machine had earned their stripes as one of the fiercest alternative bands of the decade. From the word go, Rage had always been a band that gave a voice to the disenfranchised in society. And with The Battle of Los Angeles, all four members of the band continued to push themselves.
The album's start "Testify" knocks down the door with Zack de la Rocha's snarled delivery with lyrics that draw from 1984. The entire record is centred around oppression citizens feel as a result of government limitations.
With all the harsh subject matters, the album also has an undeniable hookiness to it. For as heavy as "Sleep Now in the Fire" is lyrically, the riffs are nearly impossible to ignore. The album also spawned alternative rock staples like "Guerrilla Radio."
As tensions grew after this album's sessions, the band called it quits because of creative disagreements. Although we were given a covers album in 2000, The Battle of Los Angeles stands as the band's unintended swan song and the final stellar album in their discography.