Originally released on November 3, 1992 by Epic Records.
The band released their demo also Rage Against The Machine, 11 months prior which contained earlier recordings of 7 out of 12 songs found on this album.
With politically themed lyrical content, the album artwork was notable for featuring a graphic photograph of Thích Quảng Đức committing self-immolation. Rage Against the Machine was a critical success upon release with several critics noting the album's politically motivated agenda as well as de la Rocha's strong delivery.
Rated number 24 on the Rolling Stone's list of "100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time", the album peaked at number 1 on the US Billboard Heatseekers chart and number 45 on the US Billboard 200 and has gone on to achieve triple platinum sales certification in the US and produced four singles:
"Killing In The Name"
"Bullet In The Head"
"Bombtrack"
"Freedom"
The band announced on October 9, 2012, via their Facebook page that they would be releasing a special 20th anniversary boxset to commemorate the group's debut album. The boxset contains never-before-released concert material, including the band's 2010 Finsbury Park show and footage from early in their career, as well as a digitally-remastered version of the album, B-sides and the original Rage Against The Machine demo tape (on CD for the first time). The collection was released on November 27, 2012.
