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Editorials

I FUCKING LOVE RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE [AKA HOW TO PISS OFF A NEO-CON IN 500 WORDS OR LESS]

 Thursday, August 28th, 2008 at 5:02pm by

Sure, they made some fucking awesome music (I probably spun their self-titled disc more than any other in the summer of ’92). But what I want to talk about today is how, despite fame, money and age, they’ve remained fiercely political, involved and angry, always sticking to their ideals. The above picture [from Fear and Loathing via MetalSucks reader Eric H.] says it all — RATM on the front lines with 7000 other protesters at the DNC, urging Barack Obama to stick to his anti-war platform. Not only did they schedule a concert in Denver during the DNC; not only does Tom Morello frequently speak out in the press; they protest with everyone else, on the front fucking lines. That is the definition of honesty and keeping it real.

God, I fucking love this band.

-VN

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  • Neal

    And what are they so angry about again? Injustice! Racism! Poverty! The fact that all of these things are less flagrant in the US than in any of the countries they insist are so great? Is everything really worth protesting, even attempts at positive change? Way to pick and choose which forms of violent protest are acceptable and commendable, Zach.

    Go count your dollars.

  • pooponNealshead

    would you prefer they just write/draw/talk undying support for a celebrity candidate just cause he isnt republican and he’s purrrdy?

  • http://www.myspace.com/grownfromthecold Luke

    LMAO the guy’s name above me is awesome. Also, Rage is awesome. Also, this site is fucking awesome (I just discovered it today as a matter of fact…). But yeah, I’ve always loved Rage, they’re rock stars, but they’re not…rock stars. Plus, all their albums are killer. All of ‘em. Unlike those Metallica fellows.

  • Cisco

    Whoa, try being black or mexican in California there buddy. Racism still exists and it’s more rampant than ever, especially in this awesome country.

  • Tyler

    i see bands today jumping on the bandwagon and being “political” but rage is different..they didnt start writing political songs because everybody else was doing but becasue htye saw something wrong in this country. and plus they follow through which some bands dont they just say they hate some leader but then do nothing to get him out of office. GO RAGE!!!

  • Jughed

    I beg to differ, Sir Neilstein.

    I fucking love ABBA!

  • 2ctWhoreFromBosnia

    Rage Against what Machine? The world’s turned into a big, steamy pile of shit in the last 8 years or so, and where was Sack de la Riogga?

    Ok, I have no idea where Sack de la Riogga was for the last 8 years, but it wasn’t on any stage with RATM. Seems a bit late, all this noise right now.

  • lern2swim

    He was sitting at home counting all his cash. Because, you know, socialism is okay for the rest of us, but the 4 of them gotta eat. They are exactly what is wrong with musicians as propaganda. They are not informing 95% of their audience. They are merely causing said 95% of their audience to follow their poorly conceived political notions because they thing Rage is “cool.” It’s the same bullshit as MTV pushing politics. You’re not educating people and getting them to think for themselves. You’re creating a country who is going to vote for the guy who is presented as “cool” by the press. It’s all a huge farce.

    Oh, and I absolutely love how much of an obvious photo op this shit was. Way to start promoting your next cd early guys.

  • http://www.edsrockmusicreview.blogspot.com Edward Wilfred

    I love RATM, but I don’t agree with them politically. They’re just a bunch of commies.

  • Ross

    You left out the part where they have pretty much headlined every major festival in the world over the past year and have made a ton of money from it. Fuck yeah, that’s commie.

  • Majestic Ice Unicorn

    Love rage, saw them at rock the bells in NYC. Incredible show, very energetic musicians.

    No fucking idea what they truly stand for politically, and the same goes for 80% of the people who also listen to them. All’s I know is they make good jams, and makes me want to punch you in the face.

  • http://img120.imageshack.us/img120/82/image1llrk5.jpg Revrant

    Not a RATM fan, but I can definitely appreciate their fierce dedication to their ideals, and their (truly) great live shows, unlike certain other “distract the audience with random bullshit” acts.

  • http://www.mmacomments.com Eric

    I’m happy that rage against the machines has FUCK YOU MONEy.

    Must be nice to be rich and take planes to all these nice places and set up a pretty little show and act like they care about americans.

    I WISH I HAD FUCK YOU MONEY LIKE RATM DOES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • http://www.mmacomments.com Eric

    “# Majestic Ice Unicorn Says:
    August 28th, 2008 at 7:28 pm

    Love rage, saw them at rock the bells in NYC. Incredible show, very energetic musicians.

    No fucking idea what they truly stand for politically, and the same goes for 80% of the people who also listen to them. All’s I know is they make good jams, and makes me want to punch you in the face.”

    They stand for terrorist and terorism…music is good as long as you can look past their beliefs

  • lern2swim

    Ross, they are socialists. Basically, one step removed from communism. Of course, like all proper socialists/communists, they are hypocrites and only think that it should apply to everyone else. That’s why those systems don’t work in the real world. They go against human nature.

    Great musicians and showmen, absolutely horrible political views.

  • http://img120.imageshack.us/img120/82/image1llrk5.jpg Revrant

    No, they don’t, what kind of ignorance is that?

  • gnarlk

    rage is a major label construct. always sucked, always will. the gnr of shitty 90′s alt rock….

  • enemyofgod72

    @Eric

    Your ignorance astounds me. RATM stands for terrorism? You must be a republican. RATM stand for all of us being fucked by the system. You obviously must be deaf if you can listen to their music and not hear the words being sung. Do they look like a band whose money has gone to their heads? If that’s what you see and hear in RATM you must believe Paris Hilton is a closet Einstein. I may not always agree with RATM but you can’t deny they are one of extremely few bands that not just put their “rage” into their music but also put it into action. No one in RATM has made more money or seen more fame than Tom Morello and still he has stood side by side on the frontlines time and again with migrant workers and fought for their rights and their dignity. If you don’t know the facts or the message behind the music then keep your ignorant thougts to yourself. It’s better to remain ignorant in silence then to open your mouth and remove all doubt.

    • Greg

      THANKYOU. I was starting to think everyone in the world was retarded, at least one other person gets it.

  • http://yahoo ragedouche

    yeah ! wealthy past their prime 90′s doucherockers ! fuckin’ sad…always were a shitty band now even sadder with this stunt…and i say that as a liberal democrat (not a socialist…these assholes should move to north korea and see how they dig it)

  • 36Thoughtless

    “Do they look like a band whose money has gone to their heads?”

    No, they sound like a band that’s let their ideals destroy their common sense. Granted, it’s one thing to disagree with the current war (which I do); it’s another thing, however, to accuse all Presidents from Truman on of war crimes comparable to Nazis and suggest that they should be punished likewise. For me, they’re just a little nutty about everything. Every quote from them or interview with them seems like a platform for a barrage of extremely one-sided observations.

    RATM stands for terrorism?

    Ehh…it depends on what you define the Zapatistas as.

    Furthermore, aside from Tom Morello, who has basically mastered the art of making his guitar sound like a turntable, what exactly have these guys done musically that’s so amazing?

  • http://www.mmacomments.com Eric

    That was a great photo op for RAGE!!!!! I wonder where they are sleeping tonight

  • http://img120.imageshack.us/img120/82/image1llrk5.jpg Revrant

    enemy: http://www.metalsucks.net/?p=6831#comments As you can see he’s pretty far off to the right, so yeah, Republican may not be the definition, “far right” would be more suiting.

  • Gabexmosh

    The best part about this post? That it really did take less than 500 words to piss all of you off.

    I’ve become more of an anarcho-syndicalist in the last year, but Rage have their shit on lockdown and they know how to back it up. Which is more than you can say for Eric’s “they stand for terrorist and terorism” line. That was pure comedy gold.

  • sidric

    thats fucking awsome, you don’t see many bands doing that! i really wish i had seen them at reading fest now!

  • Fritz!

    How ’bout a r.a.t.m vs A7X battle here on ms?

  • vmanv

    i think their music hasn’t stood the test of time at all

  • greg

    I love RATM, but c’mon they’re making money hand over fist. I really can’t take their protests seriously.

  • http://metalzine.iced-earth.net Vampy

    I hate RATM… errmm… they don’t even deserve the attention given by being hated …

    I mean .. why the fuck are they calling themselves metal?

    METAL?? C’mon ….

    And what’s up with that vocal? He looks like a gay metalhead-wannabe Somalian Citizen…

    Crap!

  • SK

    Heres a clue….Being political is nothing new for metal Vampy….note…Nuclear Assault, Sacred Reich, early Megadeth,Metallica, Slayer, all those forefront speedmetal bands has some political message so YES RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE IS FUCKING METAL…Metal is about being a threat to the stat quo, against the norm… and speaking of gay im sure vampy is a big fan of the new age cockrockers like avenge, dragonforce and trivium.

  • http://metalzine.iced-earth.net Vampy

    Hey, you are not worth a response, but fuck it.. I could spare 5 minutes of my precious time to say a few words to you young fellow.

    I have been listening to metal for years, and I came to appreciate only the true metal.

    In other words, you.. comparing RATM with Slayer… that’s basphemy !!

    Either you’re a raper / hip-hopper … or just a stupid kid. Whatever the case .. you lose.

    I have done more for this music thank you’ll ever do..

    While I was trying to help metal grow stornger by helping bands, promoting this music… you were downloading porn and RATM torrents at the same time.

    PS: Where the fuck did I say something about the political issue of RATM, can’t you read?

    Now tell me.. what kind of metal is RATM and why?

  • Sammy

    There is no Rage Against the Machine in China. Or Cuba. Or Pakistan. It’s fine to protest against injustice, but don’t forget that the only reason they’re allowed to exist is because of WHERE they are from.

  • amy

    and now we return to MetalSucks Extremely Ill-Informed Political Discussion Hour.

  • 36Thoughtless

    “The best part about this post? That it really did take less than 500 words to piss all of you off.”

    Well, seeing as how the majority of people here don’t seem pissed off (myself included), I hardly agree.

    “and now we return to MetalSucks Extremely Ill-Informed Political Discussion Hour.”

    Maybe, but, in my opinion, most political discussions are. Issues too often get boiled down into some sort of catchphrase that ignores the nuances of the problem: politics and democracy, honestly, has become a bumper sticker slogan.

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  • SK

    Now i wont go into some hostile rant here but let me put it this way for everyone….Im not sure if this discussion is about how metal rage is. But for the record. A political stance is one of corner stones of metal…They put themselves on the line plenty of times…have caused more riots….crossed genres…opened people up to new ideas, new music, and ways to make a difference. Thats very metal to me . Maybe some peoples definition of metal is how long your hair is, how many bps your drummer can do or how tech your jack-off solo is…I dont know.

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  • http://www.asimplecomplex.com sadchild

    ratm was one of the best bands of the 90s. zach is real deal. the reason you didn’t hear from him for x number of years is he was in central america fighting for citizen’s rights. i was at their second reunion show on randalls island in ny and it was absolutely awesome. it doesn’t matter that they were on a major label, they found the biggest bullhorn they could find to get their message out. indie labels were .0001% of the market 15 years ago.

  • lern2swim

    Vampy, you’re a total cliche. Look at you trying to show off how “metal” you are. Oooo wow you were there at the beginning man. How awesome. Apparently though, you’ve turned into the exact thing that metal has always fought against, a closed-minded prick. I may not agree with their politics, I may think they are hypocrites, hell, I may not think their music holds up incredibly well, but RATM are metal. What the fuck is “true metal” anyway??? Is that a new subgenre? Like we already don’t have enough arbitrary subgenre bullshit.

  • Underacheiver2000

    Ron Paul bitches…..

  • Sammy

    “True metal” is anything played with a paisley Telecaster, right?

  • nick…

    You idiots complain that they’re making money, while what do you expect. they do what they can to get their message out there The fact that they make money doing it is unavoidable either way. It may seem hypocritical, but what do you want them to do, spread their message the way they do and not make money from it? thats impossible. plus they can’t do what they do without money to fund it anyway. I mean it’s hard to describe, but they can’t force this country to be communist, they can’t work off of nothing like you seem like you want them to. As a drunken American, I probably make so sense. Maybe I can describe it when I’m sober. Too bad I won’t, bitches. If i was sober, I wouldn’t have bothered writing this because it’s worthless. That’s right, suck it.

  • lern2swim

    Nick, what you just described is the exact reason that socialism and communism don’t work. Thank god they can’t force this country to be communist. Oh, and they could do what they do and not make a profit. Use the bare minimum to get by and donate the rest. But they won’t… because they’re hypocrites.

  • http://metalzine.iced-earth.net Vampy

    lern2swim, I don’t need to show off in front of a dude who listens to hip-hop crap like RATM and is a weekend satanist on Slipknot… but wants to be acknowledged as a metalhead.

    That’s looks pretty shitty from where I stand. You were asking what is true metal? Well… here are some examples : Ancient, Amon Amarth, Kreator, Bewitched, Venom, Slayer, Sodom, Carcass, King Diamond, Deicide… need I say more?

    These were the pioneers in metal, and they still give a hand on keeping this genre pure.. keep it unmixed with rap and hip-hop shit.

    You seem to know, (or at least that’s what you’re trying to show) a lot about metal, so tell me… WHAT THE FUCK IS RATM… other then gay-metal or wannabe-metal… ?

    You kids get so aggressive when someone tries to show you that you are all fakers, posers and metalhead wannabe..

    C’mon… be enjoyably stupid again. Please..

  • http://metalzine.iced-earth.net Vampy

    Quote : “Apparently though, you’ve turned into the exact thing that metal has always fought against, a closed-minded prick. ”

    Oh yeah, you go an hide under this incredibly stupid argument … if what you’re saying is true.. that we should be open-minded about these sorts of mixtures… well… fuck it .. let’s all make house-metal, trance-metal … let us shit on what others have worked for DECADES to achieve …

    Think first, and when your IQ reaches 30… do reply !

  • Damotello

    Rage kick mega arse. Saw them at a festival recently and they blew my socks off. Classic band.

  • http://img120.imageshack.us/img120/82/image1llrk5.jpg Revrant

    Vampy: I’d like to point out, though not defending RATM at all, that your list is exclusively extreme metal, extreme metal is not “true” metal, it is just a sub genre of metal, “true” metal would be the bands that founded the genre, not the bands that came along and amped it up to a new level of absurdity and hatred. The only band that qualifies for all the positive influence you would deem they are worthy of among your list of gimmicks and standard black metal are Venom, please keep that close minded European extreme metal view where it belongs – in the back of the bus.

  • http://metalzine.iced-earth.net Vampy

    Oh, god damn it… why doesn’t anyone explain what type of METAL is RATM ? =)

    You guys are pathetic… STOP AVOIDING THE FACT THAT IT’S A STUPID COMBINATION OF HIP-HOP WITH METAL !! It’s like fruits with milk … which equals diarrhea ..

    Revrant – ‘true metal’ : Virgin Steele, Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Motorhead, Iced Earth… (are these too extreme to you)

  • redd

    Peace signs, protest lines
    mean nothing to me

    dududurudum dudurudum

  • http://metalzine.iced-earth.net Vampy

    That’s pure .. Heresy ! :D

  • redd

    Vampy, I wish for fists to rain from the sky and pummel you in the face.

  • http://img120.imageshack.us/img120/82/image1llrk5.jpg Revrant

    Personally ’cause I could care less, Wikipedia calls them Rap metal.

    “Extreme” has little to do with it, the only thing that fits my personal definition of “true metal” are those that helped create it and inspire a generation to take up the guns for themselves(which includes two bands you listed), aside from those two, that list is just fine.

  • http://www.edsrockmusicreview.blogspot.com Edward Wilfred

    Has anyone checked out the Zack de la Rocha side project One Day as a Lion? It’s actually pretty good.

    Check out my blog for a review.

  • lern2swim

    Vampy, so basically you can’t even decide what you think “true metal” is. You gave one list and then an entirely different list.

    So, what you’re trying to say(and failing miserably. Want to say I live in my parents’ basement next?) is that I’m stupid because I find all this concern you have about genre completely arbitrary and an asinine endeavor? Uh, ok. But if you ask me, worrying so much about what is metal doesn’t seem very “metal” to me. I never said you had to like RATM. You’re perfectly welcome to say, “I don’t like RATM because I don’t like it when metal is mixed with rap.” Everyone has an opinion. But when you come here with your, “GRRR, I’m more metal than you,” bullshit it is so incredibly cliche and comes across as nothing more than the small penis compensation that it really is.

    If you’re so concerned about the state of metal then you should also be concerned about all the stupid ass infighting that these random genre labels cause amongst metal fans. You should worry less about what kind of metal a band is than if they are putting out something of quality(whether you personally enjoy it or not). That would be what the bigger man would do. That would be what a true metal fan would do. A person who really cares about the state of metal would realize that things always evolve and change and intermingle with other influences(oh and fruit plus milk equals a smoothie, retard. Yum). Then that person would pick out and throw away the refuse in the bunch and support the quality despite their influences. A true metal fan would be able to say to himself, “Gee, I sound exactly like all those old farts who talked shit about metal when it first came around.” A true metal fan would not turn into a crusty old curmudgeon and say shit like, “that’s not true metal. You kids today don’t know what you’re doing. Get off my lawn.” May sound like an old argument to you but that’s because, apparently, that’s exactly what you’ve turned into and people must tell you all the time.

    You’re not a true metal fan anymore, you’re no better than a scenester sitting at home watching his new favorite hard-emo-trance-screme-core band on MTV. You’re just at the opposite end of the spectrum. Stop worrying about what genre something falls into or what influences they may use, enjoy what you fucking enjoy and let others do the same, bitch.

    (and if you can read my fucking posts and think to yourself that I have a 30 IQ, you really are pathetic)

  • http://www.myspace.com/bminekime enemyofgod72

    I’ve been watching this argument unfold for the last week. I have to concur with “lern2swim”s comment above. I’ve been listening to hard rock and metal since I bought AC/DC’s For Those About To Rock when I was 8 yrs old. That was 27 yrs ago. I’ve never understood those who claim they know what true metal is or isn’t. My list would probably look different from a thousand others which makes this an exercise in futility. I still look for bands that sound original to me whether they are considered “metal” or not. RATM perform with a metal attitude. Whether you consider their music metal or something else doesn’t really matter. They make their attempts at speaking truth to power which a lot of great metal does. Whether you disagree with the message is your own choice. So, what kind of metal is RATM? Who cares. I like their music and that is enough for me. You are free to like whatever you want but arguing over what is metal and what isn’t is an unwinable argument. Some consider Led Zeppelin metal, I’m not one of them, but some do and it isn’t worth arguing over. Get over it. Enjoy what you enjoy. When I hear something I really like I try to share it with others for them to make up their own minds. There are a virtual shitload of bands I can’t stand so I don’t listen to them. If you don’t like RATM then don’t listen to them, it’s really that simple.

  • http://metalzine.iced-earth.net Vampy

    Ok, this is my last post on this subject because it caused so much polemic on a kid-band.. and really they don’t deserve it.

    Now look learntoswim .. you said something about my first and second list? Dude, wake up and think (you told me you can ) .. the 5-6 metal bands that I mentioned in my first post .. were merely some examples .. it wasn’t the ‘true metal band list’.

    The second enumeration of bands was an addition to the first one, because you said I consider METAL only the extreme bands.

    I can give 100 more examples of good metal bands.

    (Really hope you understand this time!)

    Now .. moving on. Do a survey among the metalheads… and see the general point of view… and tell me how many of the old metal listeners agree with these crap combination of metal and rap?

    You seem to miss my point !!! In my posts I didn’t, not for a moment, tried to show someone I’m more metal than him .. that would be extremely childish.. .. .. I WAS TRYING TO TELL YOU THAT RATM ISN’T METAL !!!!!!

    Another thing ! RATM .. may have some good songs… fuck it.. maybe their whole discography is good .. but then again, it’s not METAL! The fact that I don’t like it .. it’s just my point of view .. and it personal concerns my tastes. I haven’t said: “DON’T LISTEN TO RATM”

    As I said.. this was my last post… but I want to know your opinion :

    You told me I was narrow minded, because I don’t accept rap-metal as a metal genre… but tell me this. Would you me open minded if someone will make a band of disco-metal, pop-black-metal, house-metal .. or anything of this sort?

    Looking forward to hearing your reply on this matter.

    Cheers!

  • lern2swim

    Yes, I would. As long as it’s good. Who gives a shit what they throw in. Doesn’t mean I’m going to like it. But if it’s good, I can respect it. Shit, Static x, for example, call themselves something along the lines of disco-metal or evil disco or something like that and I like them. So, only “old metal listeners” are the only ones who’s opinions matter on what metal is??? I can see it, “get off my lawn!” is coming next. What about metal that has a southern influence? Is that not metal either? Industrial? Are there no industrial bands that would qualify as metal due to the fact that they use electronics?

    And yes, you’re right playing the “I’m more metal than you” game is childish… it’s also exactly what you did when you came in here. I’m not going to quote all the examples of you doing just that. There’s too many. So, I’ll just post the first:

    “I have been listening to metal for years, and I came to appreciate only the true metal.
    In other words, you.. comparing RATM with Slayer… that’s basphemy !!
    Either you’re a raper / hip-hopper … or just a stupid kid. Whatever the case .. you lose.
    I have done more for this music thank you’ll ever do..
    While I was trying to help metal grow stornger by helping bands, promoting this music… you were downloading porn and RATM torrents at the same time.”

    Yeah, you don’t sound closed minded or childish at all… bwahahaha Wow, I almost said that with a straight face. Keep “growing metal stronger” by talking shit about the fans who are supporting it today though. That’s going to do a whole lot of good for the genre. You can continue to tell people that RATM and whatever other band doesn’t fit your personal point of view isn’t metal. That doesn’t make you right. It makes you closed minded.

    Oh, and I didn’t say anything about you only considering the extreme bands metal. And I understood that they weren’t meant to be complete lists. That comment was meant more as a jovial poke at you than to be serious.

    My issue with your point of view is that you’re more concerned with genre and keeping metal inside a box than you are with the music. You didn’t say anything negative about RATM’s music. You are just pissed because they infused their music with an influence that you don’t like. I don’t like rap. I hate rap. But “rap metal” I’m fine with as long as it’s done well. You know why? Because my problem with rap isn’t the vocals. It’s the lyrical content and the general lack of musicianship. Both of those are not issues when the same vocal style is incorporated in a more complete and less “ghetto-centric” musical style.

    See, that’s paying attention to the music, not the genre.

  • GrungeKing

    RATM kick fucking ass… and that’s all you need to know.