Album
Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine's self-titled debut arrived on Epic on 6 November 1992. It grew out of the band's first demo tape, which had been finished eleven months earlier and already held earlier versions of seven of the album's ten songs. It sits at the very start of a run of four studio albums that continued with Evil Empire, The Battle of Los Angeles and Renegades.
What you hear is a blend of alternative metal, funk metal and rap metal, carrying revolutionary, politically charged lyrics. Critics at the time singled out Zack de la Rocha's forceful vocals. The cover is a stark photograph of the monk Thích Quảng Đức setting himself alight in June 1963, which tells you exactly how serious the band were. The record has since gone triple platinum in the US, and Rolling Stone placed it at number 24 among the greatest metal albums.
Rage Against the Machine on Riffology
riffology.co →
Rage Against the Machine: tracklist, credits and charts
10 tracks · 52:56Tracklist
- 1BombtrackCommerford, Morello, Rocha, Wilk4:04
- 2Killing in the NameCommerford, Morello, Rocha, Wilk5:14
- 3Take the Power BackCommerford, Morello, Rocha, Wilk5:37
- 4Settle for NothingCommerford, Morello, Rocha, Wilk4:49
- 5Bullet in the HeadCommerford, Morello, Rocha, Wilk5:10
- 6Know Your EnemyCommerford, Morello, Rocha, Wilk4:56
- 7Wake UpCommerford, Morello, Rocha, Wilk6:04
- 8Fistful of SteelCommerford, Morello, Rocha, Wilk5:31
- 9Township RebellionCommerford, Morello, Rocha, Wilk5:24
- 10FreedomCommerford, Morello, Rocha, Wilk6:06
- Produced by
- Rage Against the Machine, Garth Richardson, GGGarth
- Recorded at
- Scream (Studio City, California), Sound City (Van Nuys, California), Industrial Recording (North Hollywood, California)
- Recorded
- April–May 1992
- Mixed by
- Andy Wallace
- Mixed at
- Quantum Sound Studios
- Engineered by
- Stan Katayama, Garth Richardson, Auburn Burrell
- Mastered by
- Bob Ludwig
- Artwork
- Nicky Lindeman, Rage Against the Machine
- Photography
- Lindsey Brice
- Label
- Epic
- Length
- 52:56
Line-up
- Tim Commerford · electric bass guitar
- Tom Morello · electric guitar
- Brad Wilk · drums (drum set)
- Zack de la Rocha · lead vocals
- Stephen Perkins · percussion · guest
- Maynard James Keenan · vocals · guest
Singles
- “Killing in the Name” · 20 October 1992
- “Bullet in the Head” · 26 April 1993
- “Bombtrack” · 7 June 1993
- “Freedom” · 6 December 1993
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart · 1993–1996 | 17 |
| US Billboard 200 · 1993–1996 | 45 |
| UKDigital · 2008 | 1 |
| US Heatseekers · 1993–1996 | 1 |
| UK Rock & Metal Albums · 2006 | 2 |
| US Catalog Albums · 1993–1996 | 2 |
| US Vinyl Albums · 2012 | 2 |
| US Hard Rock · 2020–2025 | 4 |
| Dutch Albums · 1993–1996 | 5 |
| French Albums · 1993–1996 | 8 |
All 24 charts
| New Zealand Albums · 1993–1996 | 9 |
| US Alternative · 2020–2025 | 10 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 1993–1996 | 12 |
| Swiss Albums · 1993–1996 | 16 |
| US Top Rock Albums · 2020–2025 | 21 |
| German Albums · 1993–1996 | 22 |
| Swedish Albums · 1993–1996 | 22 |
| Irish Albums (IRMA) · 2002 | 24 |
| Hungarian Albums · 2017 | 30 |
| Scottish Albums · 2008 | 34 |
| Belgian Albums (Wallonia) · 1993–1996 | 37 |
| Portuguese Albums · 2020–2025 | 48 |
| Canadian Albums (Billboard) · 2020–2025 | 49 |
| Belgian Albums (Flanders) · 2012 | 81 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Australia · 2015 | 5× Platinum |
| Austria | Gold |
| Belgium · 1995 | Gold |
| Canada | Platinum |
| Denmark · 2021 | 5× Platinum |
| France · 1995 | Platinum |
| Germany | Gold |
| Italy · 2023 | Platinum |
| Japan · 2005 | Gold |
| Netherlands · 1998 | Platinum |
| New Zealand · 2026 | 3× Platinum |
| Switzerland · 1994 | Gold |
| United Kingdom · 2022 | 3× Platinum |
| United States | 3× Platinum |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
90.2
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
19k
ListenBrainz listeners
261k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
150k
Deezer fans (all editions)
Released the same week
Also released on 6 November
Every year →
More from Rage Against the Machine
Full discography →
The best of 1992
All of 1992 →
Dirt
Alice in Chains · 1992
Fear of the Dark
Iron Maiden · 1992
Vulgar Display of Power
Pantera · 1992
Countdown to Extinction
Megadeth · 1992
Angel Dust
Faith No More · 1992
Incesticide
Nirvana · 1992
Hormoaning
Nirvana · 1992
Dehumanizer
Black Sabbath · 1992
Broken
Nine Inch Nails · 1992
Live
AC/DC · 1992
Creep
Radiohead · 1992
Live at Wembley ’86
Queen · 1992
More on Epic
The label →
(What’s the Story) Morning Glory?
Oasis · 1995
Ten
Pearl Jam · 1991
Definitely Maybe
Oasis · 1994
Vs.
Pearl Jam · 1993
The Battle of Los Angeles
Rage Against the Machine · 1999
No More Tears
Ozzy Osbourne · 1991
Be Here Now
Oasis · 1997
Renegades
Rage Against the Machine · 2000
Korn
Korn · 1994
Issues
Korn · 1999
Patient Number 9
Ozzy Osbourne · 2022
Ordinary Man
Ozzy Osbourne · 2020
Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + musicbrainz; also seen: 1992-11-03 (wikidata)
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 6 November 1992 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 6 November 1992 | |
| Wikidata | 3 November 1992 | |
| US release | 6 November 1992 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 1992 | earliest UK or European date |
37 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | US | Epic Associated | 888750377524 | other |
| — | US | Epic Associated | 888750377623 | other |
| — | XE | Epic | 5099747222429 | other |
| — | XE | Epic | 5099747222429 | other |
| 1992 | FR | Epic | 5099747222429 | other |
| 1992 | CA | Epic Associated | 074645295923 | other |
| 1992 | PL | Epic | 5900867016846 | other |
| 1992 | XE | Epic | 5099747222412 | other |
| November 1992 | US | Epic Associated | 074645295916 | other |
| 6 November 1992 | US | BMG Direct Marketing, Inc. | original | |
| 6 November 1992 | US | Epic Associated | 074645295947 | original |
| 6 November 1992 | CA | Epic Associated | 77749757336102 | original |
| 6 November 1992 | US | Epic Associated | 074645295923 | original |
| 9 November 1992 | AT | Epic | 5099747222429 | other |
| 21 January 1993 | JP | — | 4988009660820 | other |
| 21 May 1993 | AU | Epic Associated | 9399747222426 | other |
| 20 December 1995 | AU | Epic Associated | 9399700013801 | other |
| 20 May 2002 | XE | Epic | 5099747222429 | other |
| 30 January 2008 | JP | Epic | 4547366036008 | other |
| 2009 | XE | Epic | 886976397029 | other |
| 20 November 2009 | XE | Epic | 5099747222412 | other |
| 2012 | AU | Epic | 0889853819324 | other |
| 2012 | XE | Sony Music | 887654089311 | other |
| 12 September 2012 | XE | Epic | 5099747222412 | other |
| 26 November 2012 | XE | Epic | 887654123428 | deluxe |
| 26 November 2012 | GB | Epic | 887654121523 | deluxe |
| 27 November 2012 | US | Epic | 887654117625 | deluxe |
| 27 November 2012 | CA | Epic | 887654121523 | deluxe |
| 27 November 2012 | US | Epic | 887654123428 | other |
| 27 November 2012 | XW | Epic | 886443678750 | deluxe |
| 5 December 2012 | JP | Epic | 4547366186710 | deluxe |
| 5 December 2012 | JP | Epic | 4547366186710 | deluxe |
| 2015 | XE | Epic Associated | other | |
| 2015 | XE | Epic Associated | 888751117518 | other |
| 24 June 2016 | US | Audio Fidelity | 780014224424 | remaster |
| 4 February 2020 | XW | Epic | 074645295923 | other |
| — | — | Epic Associated | 888750377623 | other |
Cover art sources
coverartarchive · native: native 3000x3000
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| coverartarchive ✓ | 3000×3000 | native: native 3000x3000 |
| itunes | 3000×3000 | native |
| deezer | 1200×1200 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |