Top 10 Best Songs by Rage Against The Machine

A tight, angular riff drives this song forward. It's somewhat less hectic than their early work, but all the more poisonous. The lyrics attack the greed and imperialism of the West. The production is dry and direct, allowing bassist Tim Commerford's groove to shine perfectly. The song ends in chaos and feedback, a fitting end for a track about destruction.

This song starts with an ominous, pulsing beat before exploding. It's RATM at their most "bouncy"; a song made to jump to. The guitar sounds more like a turntable than a string instrument at times. The buildup toward the climax is phenomenal. The energy is gradually stepped up until de la Rocha screams "All hell can't stop us now!" supported by a wall of sound.

Made famous by The Matrix outro. The riff is a tribute to Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir," but amped up with steroids. The song is long and epic, with multiple tempo changes. The tension is built up for minutes toward an explosive ending. The intensity with which the final lines are screamed is terrifying and inspiring at the same time.

A song that switches between a heavy, slow groove and rapid punk bursts. Guest vocals from Maynard James Keenan (Tool) add an extra layer of mystery to the bridge. Morello's guitar sounds here like a siren and a machine gun at the same time. It's a track that constantly catches you off guard, full of musical twists and turns.

The closer of their debut album is a lesson in dynamics. It starts deceptively quiet and funky, but builds to one of the heaviest riffs in rock history. The lyrics are about the Leonard Peltier case. The scream "Freedom!" at the end is visceral; it comes from your toes. The contrast between the groovy verses and the devastating ending makes this one of their strongest compositions.

Short, fierce and deadly effective. The guitar in the intro sounds like a sharp knife scraping glass. The track is about the indigenous people of Mexico and their struggle. The tempo is high and the energy is nervous. It shows how tight the rhythm section of Brad Wilk and Tim Commerford actually is; they lay a concrete foundation for the chaos on top.

The opening of their debut album hits like a bomb. The riff is heavy and perfect headbang material. The song introduces the band's manifesto: music as a weapon. The production is raw and unpolished. You hear the strings vibrate and the amplifiers hum. It's the sound of four men in a room who know exactly what they want to tear down.

Starts with an ominous bassline and minimalist beat. The song slowly builds tension, like an elastic band being pulled tighter and tighter until it inevitably snaps. The last minute is pure adrenaline. The repetition of the lyrics works hypnotically, while the music becomes increasingly chaotic and harder. A physical endurance test in the best sense of the word.

Perhaps the most recognizable guitar solo ever: Tom Morello making his guitar sound like a vinyl scratch. The groove in this song is monstrous, heavy and compelling. De la Rocha sounds more venomous than ever, spitting at the military-industrial complex. The mix of funk rhythms with metal aggression is at its absolute peak here; tight, hard and inescapable.

The anthem of resistance. From the first, dry bass notes you know what time it is. The riff is iconically simple and effective. The buildup to the ending is legendary in music history. When the music pauses and the whispered vocals turn into the famous scream "F*** you, I won't do what you tell me!", an energy is unleashed that can flatten stadiums. It's the ultimate expression of disobedience, captured in sound.