10 Perfect Debut Rock Albums Of The 90s

Looking back on the '80s metal scene, the entire concept of California just felt like one 24 hour party. As much as bands like Warrant and Ratt may have been fun to listen to in the moment though, there was barely enough substance in their back catalog to last longer than a couple of songs. In the same venues off of Sunset though, there came a band that had a knack for riffs and some real anger behind them.

Even though it's commonplace now, it is jarring to see the kind of music that Rage Against the Machine were up against in the early part of their career. Around the same time that Soundgarden was roaring up the charts, Rage did their own thing by blending the harsh sounds of Tom Morello's guitar with Zack de la Rocha's poignant lyrics on politics, and somehow getting the entire rock world to groove to it.

While not every fan may have gotten the anger in a song like Killing in the Name, hearing that chant of not doing what you're told is something that was bound to hit home with every teenager who ever felt like they were being taken advantage of. The trends may change as the years go by, but the idea of tearing down the establishment is never going to go out of style.