Rage Against The Machine - Rage Against The Machine

Rage Against the Machine is the debut studio album by American rap metal band Rage Against the Machine, originally released in November 1992 via Epic Records.

Know Your Enemy features Tool vocalist Maynard James Keenan on "additional vocals", and also features Jane's Addiction drummer Stephen Perkins on trashcan percussion. Keenan has been known on occasion to appear onstage with the band to perform the song.

The cover features a photo of the self-immolation of Thích Quảng Đức, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk, in Saigon in 1963. The monk was protesting President Ngô Đình Diệm's administration for oppressing the Buddhist religion. The photograph drew international attention and persuaded U.S. President John F. Kennedy to withdraw support for Ngô Đình Diệm's government. It was taken by Associated Press correspondent Malcolm Browne; a similar photograph earned the award of World Press Photo of the Year in 1963.

The songs on Rage Against the Machine all feature political messages. Activists such as Provisional IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands and Black Panther Party founder Huey P. Newton are listed in the "Thanks For Inspiration" section. Also thanked were Ian and Alec MacKaye—de la Rocha was straight edge at the time, though he later took up smoking.

The lyrics for each song were printed in the album booklet with the exception of those for Killing in the Name, which were omitted; the booklet reads "2. KILLING IN THE NAME", skips the lyrics and continues with the next song.

The statement "no samples, keyboards or synthesizers used in the making of this record" can be found at the end of the sleeve notes. Similar statements were made in the band's subsequent albums. The band also refer to themselves as "Guilty Parties" for each album.

The album produced four singles: 

• Killing In The Name
• Bullet In The Head
• Bombtrack
• Freedom

The members of Rage Against The Machine are:

• Zack de la Rocha – vocals
• Tim Commerford (credited as "Timmy C") – bass
• Brad Wilk – drums
• Tom Morello – guitars 

The album was produced by Rage Against The Machine and Garth Richardson.

The album went to #1 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart, and #45 on the Billboard 200 chart. The album also reached #17 on the UK and #12 on the Australian Albums charts.

In 2001, Q magazine named Rage Against the Machine as one of the 50 Heaviest Albums Of All Time. The album is included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. In 2012, the album was ranked number 365 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

This album is a 2015 reissue on 180 gram black vinyl with a printed inner sleeve, pressed in Europe via Epic Records.