12 '90s Hard Rock Albums Everyone Should Own
7. Rage Against The Machine - The Battle Of Los Angeles
Their self titled album is one of the all time great debuts, grabbing the world’s attention with their distinctive rap-rock hybrid (one of the few bands who can pull the genre off), but Rage’s third record is their creative high point. It takes the political fury that fuels the band and adds nuance and finer musicianship to make their best work to date.
The band still deals in hard edged, socially aware rock, but the sound is more varied than on earlier works, and the songcraft more accomplished. With the likes of “Calm Like A Bomb” and “Guerilla Radio”, Rage managed to write songs that would be as at home in a club as they would played during a protest - the latter even found its way onto a classic Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater soundtrack.
Morello’s guitar work is more inventive than ever, with "Sleep Now in the Fire" a high point. The rage is as apparent than ever, but this album features a little more of the machine, embracing the band’s hip hop side to greater effect than ever.