10 Greatest Hard Rock Songs Of The 1990s
5. Bulls on Parade - Rage Against the Machine
If there was one word to describe the hard rock scene at the start of the '90s, it was anger. Whether you were into metal or going more towards the alternative side of the spectrum, there was a lot more hostility going on in the bands from Seattle than there was with someone like Motley Crue. In an era that made you want to get a little angry, Rage Against the Machine made you want to stand up for injustice on Bulls on Parade.
While you could practically pick a handful of Rage's best songs from the '90s for this list, the way that Bulls on Parade opens has you hooked right away, with Tom Morello's guitar riff hitting you over the head like a battering ram. From then on, there is no holding back on this entire track, with Zack de la Rocha saying his lyrics with venom in his voice. You can almost hear his gnashed teeth in the vocal booth, as he talks about the warehouse jobs in America opening just as quickly as the prison cells.
Without having to change the notes or anything, the whole song seems to swell in the outro, with Zack getting more and more angry as the intro riff is brought back in. Once the track stops, the world ends up looking a lot different than it did just a few minutes ago. That was more innocent times...you're in the resistance now, son.