Track Listing

1. Testify
2. Guerilla Radio
3. Calm Like A Bomb
4. Mic Check
5. Sleep Now In The Fire
6. Born Of A Broken Man
7. Born Of Ghosts
8. Maria
9. Voice Of The Voiceless
10. New Millennium Homes
11. Ashes In The Fall
12. War Within A Breath

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3379 in Music
• Released on: 1998-10-26
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Explicit Lyrics

Amazon.co.uk Review
Having successfully fused music and politics from their start, inspiring both moshing and young minds in the process, Rage Against the Machine emerge in peak form with merely their third album in seven years. Guitarist Tom Morello is one of the most distinctive and innovative players of his era, and his foil, vocalist/lyricist Zack De La Rocha, is as unrelenting and inspiring as ever on The Battle of Los Angeles. Rage, whose past antics include performing naked with duct tape over their mouths to protest censorship, released Battle on Election Day in the US, but the politics of the group can be separated from the sounds. Indeed, the 45 minutes of mayhem heard here can be enjoyed solely as rousing aggro hip-hop rock. There's more variety found on Battle than on its predecessors, however. "Sleep Now In The Fire" is one of their most straight-ahead rock tunes, while the trippy guitar on "Calm Like A Bomb" is out there even for the adventurous Morello and "Born a Broken Man" serves up lovely musical interludes. Overall, the more finely honed Rage heard on Battle may not inspire a generation of young revolutionaries, but they still stir up more mutinous spirit than the rest of the current rock pack. --Katherine Turman

Customer Reviews

Not as good as Album 1 but good...
Let's face it - the first album was dela Rocha at his most vitriollic and angry best. The ONLY reason this album gets 4 stars from me is that it's not *quite* as good as the self titled album. Other than that this is a blindingly good album.

I got this in a twin pack with Renegades, but I have to be honest and say i've listened to this one much MUCH more. The tunes seem more grungy and rocky, wheeras Renegade seems a bit more beats and raps.

This album could only come second behind RATM but it's a cracking listen anyway.

One of best albums I have ever listened to
I must say I was never truely a great fan of RATM. When I heard ''Rage Against The Machine'' and ''Evil Empire'' my musical taste at that time was in bias of dance orientated, popular/commercial tracks, that on reflection held little depth and passion. RATM's first two albums I can say have lead me to a far greater appreciation of all styles of music. So when I heard this album was going to be released I was doubtful as to whether that raw, passionate anger would still excist, both In Zach's voice and the infamous bass lines. The first track I heard of the album was 'Born of a broken man' and was completely blown away. My favourite song from RATM is ''Bulls on parade'' and I thought no other track would come close to its vicious sound. Well ''Born of a broken man'' proved to me that RATM had certainly not lost anything from the previous albums. As mentioned this Is possibly the only album in my collection that I don't have to skip through. Every single song in its own right is awesome, with some of the best lyrics, outstanding bass work and pure funking rock!! Songs like ''Born of a broken man'', ''Guerrilla Radio'' and ''Sleep now in the fire'' are indeed standouts, but possibly the most arousing track is ''Voice of the Voiceless''. No matter what mood I am in, that track stirs up so many varied emotions. In conclusion any true RATM fan, might indeed think there are no classics resting on this album, however I truely think they excist as modern classics. I recommend this album without doubt.

Intelligent, mature, and downright brutal return to the fore
Having been less than impressed with the Rages last offering, the initial riff in Testify made my heart sink... It really does sound like a poor attempt to replicate the sound of their first album, and quite frankly demonstrates the band's lack of musical training. However, from the nanosecond Morello kicks in with Guerilla Radios first riff you will be left in no doubt that they are back on form... and then some. It is impossible to overstate the brilliance of Rage Against The Machine. Love 'em or hate 'em, Morello is without a doubt one of the most innovative guitarists of his time (perhaps ever), yet he manages to demonstrate sublime restraint thoughout the album... solos are perfectly timed, silence used as a devastating tool. De La Rocha is on typically brutal form, his lyrics as politically sharp as they are melodically powerful. Songs such as New Millenium Homes echo their first offering, with Voice of the Voiceless, or Maria showing just what they are capable of. In 1993 we all hailed Rage Against the Machine. In 1997 we reckoned it might be time to look to others for our anti-establishment inspiration. Oh how wrong we were...