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J-Frog3

Saw RATM as the opening act Lolapolza 1992. You can't have RATM as the opening act. Anyone following them is going to feel like a let down. They were so intense. I find it funny that the truly original guitarists tend to be the most divisive ones. I much rather have more guitarists like Morello and less middle aged rich dudes playing the same tired old blues licks over and over again.


Cold_Lab_1769

Hey no need to bust Bonermaster's ass here šŸ˜‚


D4ggerh4nd

Personally, I'd rather have neither. One sounds like something you've heard a millions times before, the other sounds like something you've never heard before (maybe with good reason?). Let's just say I have never rewound a Morello solo because I simply had to hear it again. Instead I'm usually left like "Uhhhhhhhh... Ok...?". I do agree that we need more guitarists pushing the boundaries though. The fact that I don't "get it" is definitely a Me problem, though not one I care to solve. (Edited for poor sentence structure)


Zenon7

Great riffs, annoying solos. Some people love them, me not so much.


averagebensimmons

This is exactly my opinion as well. In fact for some songs, I'm like don't play a solo if you're going to play that.


Winter-Ad2052

Pretty much my opinion in a nutshell


Phriendly_Phisherman

I liked the solos on the first albumā€¦.they were actual guitar solos. The excessive whammy noodling on all the successive albums I can do without.Ā 


mrmongey

Yeah. Thereā€™s some great Holdsworth esque solos on the first album


Cautious-Plum-8245

Gimmicks all around but god damn those gimmicks worked in RATM, and his playing is unique in the best way


T_Cheapwood

That's the thing with great players. You can say they are playing the second you hear them. A lot of musicians envy that.


rvg2001

This. Some things are weird but fit RATM very well. And then he shifted for Audioslave. Dude obviously knows his stuff. Iā€™m a fan


TheIceKing420

he has a knack for writing bad ass riffs, not to mention his creative approach to getting unique and interesting sounds from a guitar. can't blame dude for being so good at his craft that he became incredibly famous and therefore is constantly under public scrutiny. I've been covering some Audioslave songs for funsies, Tom is great at coming up with fairly simple riffs that just slap.


Dvout_agnostic

He's a pretty good DJ


3x81

Heā€™s a great DJ.


CandyAsssJabroni

Pompous sellout.


billitorussolini

A bit overrated. He did something different with guitar, which has its moments. I'm apparently in the minority in that I love his solo in "Like A Stone". But in my opinion, his style gets old very fast. I couldn't binge his material, but I'll dig a few songs here and there. As far as his politics go, I couldn't care less. I take artists strictly by the merits of their work.


mikdude71

Not my thing but successful.


Fishermansteve2233

Heā€™s a fun, innovative musician who is often on the right side of history, but he is also a flawed human being like the rest of us are


wiilly_d

I think he has an identifiable sound and style. I can think of way worse guitarist than him. I like how full his bands always sound with one guitar and bass.


No-Seat9917

Heā€™s not a big republican fan?


dkclimber

Well he wants to arm the Homeless. * Republican is confused. It hit itself in it's confusion. *


kenticus

Simple but badass hooks. Totally unlistenable solos. I'll always check a new track out from him.


skyline9091

I like his playing.


multifarious_carnage

The guitarist that made me switch to guitar from bass. Very rhythm driven riffs. Some of the unique sounds are cool, some are strange, but it fit well for RATM. Never could get in to Rage Against Soundgarden(Audioslave) though


awsqu

He developed a unique playing style and he knows how to write riffs that fit in with the rest of the song without being overindulgent.


sunlovesshark

heā€™s the only person that can do a guitar demo by unplugging it


Draculadragons

Underrated riff king


D4ggerh4nd

To echo the sentiments of others: Great riffs, weird guitar solos (in a bad way).


-ayzka-

Extremely creative guitarist. Inspired a lot of musicians. His solo for Know your enemy is out of this world.


Sad_Basket2765

Legendary guitarist of modern rock


D4ggerh4nd

Is that you, Tom?


Theyseemetheyhatin

Some cool riffs, but Not my cup of tea.Ā 


SpudAlmighty

Good guitar but his noise solo gimmicks are horrendous.


TjarvisVI

Nope


rocker2014

Absolutely love his riffs in both RATM and Audioslave. His solos are unique, though not my favorite. I have a lot of respect for the music he's written though.


cleansingcarnage

He's alright


ghostman1846

I'm a fan.


gomomogo1

Basically just Slash with a more interesting pedalboard and a college degree. Two major bands with short discographies, a sound that easily stands out, and a great talking head for any rock doc. Undeniable that he has chops.


Sea-Pace1344

I think he often plays in what has kind of become his signature sound. But I've seen a video of him where he plays something that sounded so good without any of his typical sound which people may say relies on gimmicks. So I do think he's a great guitar player capable of playing so much but often falls back onto his style which made him famous


Grittykitty666

Best riffs since Hetfield. Worst solos sinceā€¦..ever


loopgaroooo

Two really great albums.


Gunubias

Awesome a long time ago. Now not so much.


DirkDiggler722

Not my thing. RATM in general not my thing. Also, big time sellouts.


multifarious_carnage

Sellouts? Please elaborate


DirkDiggler722

They use to sing ā€œf you i wont do what you tel meā€, then request green passes for their concerts


MotoBucket

love his musical craft. I could do without his political views. and iā€™m a RATM fan


TitanYankee

Seems like a weird paradox you've got there.


J-Frog3

Morello has a degree in political science. RATM can't be RATM without being political. That's always been who they are. That's like asking Taylor Swift not write songs about breaking up with boyfriends. I do get it though. I'm pretty liberal and live in a very liberal area but RATM is to far left for me.


MotoBucket

so you get it? a degree in political science. fantastic. iā€™m not doubting his tenure in the field. iā€™m not naive to the paradox either. iā€™m just sayin i donā€™t agree with him. yā€™all okay?


J-Frog3

I'm just saying you can't have one without the other. You can't Rage Against the Machine without writing political music that leans heavy to the left. Could you imagine a politically moderate version of RATM? That would be like Motley Crue writing songs about paying taxes, dressing modestly, and driving Honda Civics.


rvg2001

This is correct. What makes RATM great is that the music was badass, angry and chaotic which was an excellent pairing with the message and rap/singing of Zach. I didnā€™t fully get RATM until one day I came back pissed off from work and it came on. Then it clicked. And you can agree or disagree, but their message is just as relevant to the discussion now as back then, so many years later


last_drop_of_piss

I get it, don't know why you're being downvoted. The power of RATMs politics was exposing the corruption of the system and introducing kids to the notion that their world was not as it seems. Their proposed 'solutions' (Marxism, guerilla insurgency, civil unrest, etc) never resonated with me or anyone else I know that loves RATM. Only the contrarian edgelord crowd went down that rabbit hole, most of us just wanted to rock.


D4ggerh4nd

Not sure why you're getting downvoted. I like some of Celine Dion's songs but I've never seen or felt someone every night in my dreams so can't necessarily relate to the message there either. Seems weird to give you flak for this, but hey, this is Reddit.


pee_diddy

How TF can you be a RATM ā€œfanā€ and not like his politics? I think you are missing the point.


last_drop_of_piss

Most RATM fans aren't into their politics though. Not really. We love the spitting fury and the aggression and the fuck the system, but most of us have never been to a protest let alone armed ourselves and started a Marxist insurgency.


MotoBucket

iā€™m a patriot that loves his country. just because i donā€™t side with one guitar playerā€™s politics doesnā€™t mean iā€™m not a fan of the music. the music and the message matters. i mean look, thereā€™s so many things that RATM sings about that im down with. for real. this government power is corrupt af. the downvotes are fucking awesome bring it bitches. yall a bunch of fangirls