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Rap-Metal group Rage Against The Machine released its self-titled debut album in 1992, but the music is just as relevant today as it was back then.

Songs like 'Take The Power Back' and 'Freedom' are about individual exploitation by the cultural, social and political systems in society, and how the people must be willing to rise up and overcome such oppression. Many may have also recently heard about the small matter of 'Killing In The Name' beating X-Factor winner Joe McEderry to the number one spot, Christmas 2009, seventeen years after the single first debuted in the charts.

The thing that really strikes the listener when they first listen to Rage is that the band means business. The whole album is intended to provide voice to the silent minority: Those individuals that feel neglected and abused are given hope through the band's resonant, unashamed, confrontational expression.

Guitarist Tom Morello's anomalous riffs, rhythmic special effects and extended tapping techniques were some of the most powerful sounds to come from a guitar in that era, and remain unchallenged today. From semi-rapping, semi-screaming vocalist Zack de la Rocha, the band managed to convey its message via an explosion of raw, politically-charged spoken-word poetry, reflecting the pain and frustrations of the oppressed. The whole package was kept together by the bassist Tim Commerford and drummer Brad Wilk, both of whom were the rebellious yet harmonious rhythmic foundation of the group.

The listener becomes accustomed to the band's style upon hearing 'Bombtrack' where de la Rocha spits "I'm gonna drop it at a higher level/ Cause I'm inclined to stoop down/ Hand out some beat-downs". Then the repetitive profanity in the signature track 'Killing in the Name', about corrupt government officials being members of the KKK, assertively parallels the apprehended individual that obeys the commands of the law enforcement without question, simply because he was taught that way. One really begins to feel the tension amounting with every song; each track is a killer.

Arguably, the album's main highlight is 'Know Your Enemy', which echoes Pink Floyd's 'The Happiest Days of our Lives'.

The issue is with the education system, and how public schools automatically stereotype a child as a "problem" for developing his own opinion and refusing to follow, blindly, conformity. With its funky tempo changes and thought-provocative high-energy lyricism, the track rejects complacency and points a forceful finger at the guilty party. When de la Rocha denounces ignorance, hypocrisy, brutality and the elite, it's hard not to chant along with the words "All of which are American dreams" that echo repeatedly towards the song's climax. It's ideal music to accompany a protest march.

On the album's sleeve notes, it states "no samples, keyboards or synthesizers were used in the making of this record" and this shows. In full, this is a huge slab of no-nonsense, un-relentless Rap-Metal music, which was built upwards from the streets.

Where many artists have attempted to blend the aggressive elements of two genres with often dire results, Rage Against The Machine managed to create an eye-opening account of the everyday world. 1992 may seem like a long time ago now, but the broad relevance of its left-wing expressions made its debut LP a milestone in confrontational music. And, arguably, throughout these days of financial meltdown and manufactured pop artists, the band is as much an inspiration as its ever been.

(C) Andy Carrington, 2009.