Rage Against the Machine – XX (20th anniversary edition)
Barbara Bruederlin
Posted On December 7, 2012
DAMN! My mind’s been blown.
Rage Against the Machine’s incendiary debut album may have been released twenty years ago, but it is every bit as powerful today as it was in 1992. The scorching lyrics and explosive hip-hop funk metal with punk leanings are no less revolutionary now than they were when Rage Against the Machine first became the voice of leftist revolution in the American music scene.
The 20th anniversary reissue contains a two CD set – the remastered debut album plus a second disc containing the original demo – as well as a bonus DVD of videos and live clips. I am not normally a fan of reissues, but for this I make an exception. The sound on this remastered album is as fresh and startling and in-your-face as the day that this manifesto of sociopolitical outrage first ripped the world a new one. Rage Against the Machine’s explosive power and righteous social anger have mightily stood the test of the decades.
The tight funky riffs, the aggressively spit-out rap vocals, and all that passion contained in that enraged scream still have the power to make the hair stand up on the back of my neck. You really need to listen!
