Rage Against the Machine

"RATM" redirects here. For the computational model, see Random-access Turing machine.
Not to be confused with Race Against the Machine or Age Against the Machine.
This article is about the band itself. For their various self-titled works, see Rage Against the Machine (disambiguation).

Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine in 2007. From left: Tim Commerford, Zack de la Rocha, Brad Wilk, Tom Morello
Rage Against the Machine in 2007. From left: Tim Commerford, Zack de la Rocha, Brad Wilk, Tom Morello
Background information
OriginLos Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres
DiscographyRage Against the Machine discography
Years active
  • 1991–2000
  • 2007–2011
  • 2019–2024
Labels
Spinoffs
Past members
Websiteratm.com

Rage Against the Machine (often abbreviated as RATM or shortened to Rage) was an American rock band formed in 1991 in Los Angeles, California. The band consisted of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim Commerford, guitarist Tom Morello, and drummer Brad Wilk. They melded heavy metal and rap music, punk rock and funk with anti-authoritarian and revolutionary lyrics. As of 2010, they had sold over 16 million records worldwide.[1] They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2023.[2][3]

Rage Against the Machine released their self-titled debut album in 1992 to acclaim; in 2003, Rolling Stone ranked it number 368 on its list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. They achieved commercial success following their performances at the 1993 Lollapalooza festival.[4] Their next albums, Evil Empire (1996) and The Battle of Los Angeles (1999), topped the Billboard 200 chart.[5][6] During their initial nine-year run, Rage Against the Machine became a popular and influential band,[7] and influenced the nu metal genre which came to prominence during the late 1990s and early 2000s. They were also ranked No. 33 on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock.[8]

In 2000, Rage Against the Machine released the cover album Renegades and disbanded after growing creative differences led to De la Rocha's departure. After pursuing other projects for several years, they reunited to perform at Coachella in 2007. Over the next four years, the band played live venues and festivals around the world before going on hiatus in 2011. In 2019, Rage Against the Machine announced a world tour that was delayed to 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic but was cut short after de la Rocha suffered a leg injury. Wilk confirmed in 2024 that the band had disbanded for the third time.[9]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference WordPress was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Kate Bush and Willie Nelson Among 2023 Rock Hall of Fame Inductees". www.vulture.com. May 3, 2023. Archived from the original on July 31, 2023. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
  3. ^ "Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Reveals Class of 2023: Willie Nelson, Kate Bush, Missy Elliott, Sheryl Crow, Rage Against the Machine and More". www.variety.com. May 3, 2023.
  4. ^ "500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. May 31, 2012. Archived from the original on July 16, 2012. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Billboard 1996 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Billboard 1999 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Devenish was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ "VH1: '100 Greatest Hard Rock Artists': 1-50". Rock On The Net. Archived from the original on February 14, 2002. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  9. ^ "Rage Against the Machine Break Up...Again". Rolling Stone. January 4, 2024. Retrieved January 6, 2024.