Now here's a reissue to get excited about: 'Rage Against the Machine' is re-releasing their self-titled debut record today.

'Rage Against the Machine XX' will include footage from early concerts and a full 2010 performance from Finsbury Park, along with a remastered version of the album with their original demo tape and bonus tracks.

The album originally came out on November 3, 1992 and has often been called one of the greatest and most influential rock albums of all time.

It is ranked number 365 on 'Rolling Stone' magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

But Rage wasn't just a one album wonder. They've sold more than 16 million records worldwide and the band's third album 'The Battle of Los Angeles' was named the best album of 1999 by both 'Time Magazine' and 'Rolling Stone'.

They also were ranked No. 33 on VH1's '100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock' and had a big influence on the nu metal genre which took off during the mid to late 1990s.

Rage originally formed in 1991, after guitarist Tom Morello saw lead singer Zack de la Rocha freestyle rapping at a club in LA.

He invited de la Rocha to be the rapper in a new band. From there, Morello drafted drummer Brad Wilk, while de la Rocha brought in his childhood friend Tim Commerford to play bass.

They took their name from a song de la Rocha had written with his former band Inside Out. The phrase "rage against the machine" originally came from writer and DIY label owner Kent McClard in the zine 'No Answers.'

The band recorded a demo tape of 12 songs that got them attention from labels. They ended up signing to Epic Records, who would put out both their debut and their later albums.

If you aren't familiar with Rage's music, it's worth checking out. On their first record, they fused rap and metal brilliantly, and created passionate, politically driven tunes unlike anything else out there.

To get a feeling for how the band sounded when they were starting out (and how tight they were from the very beginning), this video shows their first public performance from October 23, 1991, at Cal State Northridge in Northridge, California:

The cover of Rage's first album is a photo of Thích Quảng Đức, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk who burned himself to death in Saigon in 1963 in protest against the regime of President Ngô Đình Diệm.

The monk's death, and the public outcry it caused, increased international pressure on the Diệm government. Later that year Diệm was toppled by an army coup, and assassinated on November 2, 1963. The photograph itself was taken by Malcolm Browne, who won a Pulitzer Prize for the shot.

To find out more about the reissue, you can check out the band's website right here. And the NME has put together a list of '20 Things You Might Not Know' about the album.

Plus, Tom Morello has been in the red chair. You can watch part one and part two of his conversation with George below.

And if you want some more Rage in your life, don't miss The Strombo Show this Sunday at 8 pm on CBC Radio 2. We'll be spinning a track or two from Zack and the crew, along with the usual line-up of great tunes. See you then...

Related:

Unsafe For Radio: John Lennon, NWA And A History Of Controversial Songs

Perry Farrell - 'Jane's Addiction' And 'Satellite Party'