Rage Against the Machine Breaks Up for a Third Time

This isn’t the first time that Rage has pulled the plug on the band. The foursome, consisting of frontman Zack de la Rocha, bassist Tim Commerford, guitarist Tom Morello and Wilk, formed in the early 1990s and rocked the mainstream with its reactionary and politically charged music. But after all their success, Rocha released a statement in 2000 that he was leaving the band because “our decision-making process has completely failed.” The remaining members splintered off to form Audioslave with lead singer Chris Cornell, who would inevitably leave the band in 2007.

That same year, Rage reunited to headline Coachella and subsequently toured in the years that followed. By 2011, they’d played their final show at L.A Rising, signalling its second breakup. But, of course, Rage caught a third wind in 2020, announcing the Public Service Announcement tour. The Covid pandemic forced them to postpone the trek, and Rage inevitably picked it back up in 2022. On the second date of the tour, Rocha ruptured his Achilles tendon, and while they finished the first leg of the planned shows, they cancelled the remainder due to the severity of his injuries.

Most recently, Rage was mostly absent during their induction ceremony into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Morello was the sole member on hand to accept the honour, and noted that the oft-feuding group has “differing opinions on a lot of things, including being inducted.” He did pay tribute to Rage, though, and thanked the “fifth member of the band,” referring to the fans.