Top 10 Most Political Bands

No question here. Every song these guys write is like an enormous middle finger to the U.S. government. With Zack de la Rocha's unmatchable rage and scream-rap style, Tim Commerford's funky bass, Brad Wilk's pounding drums, and Tom Morello's insane guitar capabilities, Rage's music is still relevant 20 years after it first came out.

Without a doubt, the most overtly leftist political band to gain a large following. Unlike an unfortunately large amount of political music, RATM truly hits hard.

Has there ever been a more famous overtly political band?

Green Day only started to get political after they released American Idiot, but they have picked up where Rage left off and have been the leading proponent against the government. American Idiot as a whole was almost like a diss album to the entire Bush administration, and everybody in America could relate.

They aren't specifically known for their political music, but when they do get political, they are loud, aggressive, and fearless.

This is a very good and meaningful list. I respect bands that dare to write political songs.

Their sound isn't perfectly metal, but at the same time, with their songs Cigaro, Soil, Jet Pilot, F*k the System, and Holy Mountains, it's hard to not group them with metal.

Though their messages tend to be somewhat on the political left, it's hard to disagree with them on their topics because, in the end, they're all about the cruelty of humans towards other humans and the silence they're forced into.

All in all, they do the best job of combining beautiful songwriting, heartfelt messages, and unique twists to their music.

Should be number 1 or 2 for consistency.

Unlike your little pop rock bands - *cough Green Day cough* - these guys were ALWAYS political and managed to be enjoyable at the same time. With Jello's persistent use of Juvenalian satire and compelling stage presence, along with East Bay Ray's rapid surf guitar style, these guys were killers in the punk scene. They had something to say about just about anything or anyone too.

With a band name that sums up the group's political intent, the Dead Kennedys were among the leaders in the hardcore punk scene of the '80s. They held nothing back in criticizing the government, particularly the Reagan administration.

The Clampdown, Straight to Hell, Career Opportunities, dare I say Rock the Casbah, Know Your Rights, their cover of Police and Thieves, Police On My Back, Spanish Bombs, Hate & War, Charlie Don't Surf, Ivan Meets GI Joe, Ghetto Defendant, Bank Robber, One More Time/Dub, Washington Bullets, White Man in Hammersmith Palais, The Call Up, English Civil War, The Guns of Brixton, Kingston Advice, Justice Tonight/Kick It Over, and of course London Calling.

This was all before social media and 24/7 news.

Unlike many of the other bands on this list, Midnight Oil made sure to sing about making the world a better place, not just tearing it down. They have always taken actions far beyond the music.

Their music never takes a back seat to the message, and neither does the poetry of the lyrics. They are artists and musicians whose work stands alone as some of the most brilliant rock music ever made, which also happens to have meaningful and inspiring lyrics.

The Oils never feigned anger. Instead, they operated on pure, authentic rage that powered their amazing performances.

The O.G.s of punk rock. With only one album, the Pistols took on the entire U.K. Sid Vicious' music and messages, through songs like "Anarchy in the UK" and "God Save the Queen," have been the motto for young, government-hating Brits for decades.

With albums like United Abominations and many songs discussing a "New World Order," Dave's lyrics are driven and hard to beat in terms of songwriting.

One of the best examples is Peace Sells. The video helps to understand the song. Musically, this is one of my favorite Megadeth songs.

This band even sings about Illuminati conspiracy in the song "We the People." Why isn't this number one?

Many songs, and the entire album ...And Justice for All, feature themes of political and legal injustice seen through the prisms of censorship, war, and nuclear brinkmanship.

With a rock-flavored hip-hop sound, Chuck D, Flava Flav, and the boys have been making insightful messages about the social problems in America for 30+ years. This is especially true with their masterpiece albums It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, Fear of a Black Planet, and Apocalypse 91... The Enemy Strikes Back.

To my recollection, Freddie Mercury was the first worldwide celebrity to pass from HIV. Losing such a talent, I believe, was the start of a real togetherness in fighting HIV and marked the beginning of wider acceptance of the gay community.

I know it might seem strange to place a relatively calm band like U2 on a list with metal, punk rock, and hip-hop groups, but in their early days U2 was not afraid to challenge the government of Ireland. This is most apparent in protest songs like "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and "New Year's Day."

The first voice in Ireland I ever heard. First-world citizens who really brought a more global perspective to my late GenX age group.

Not only political with their music, but with their causes.

Anti-Flag is an American punk rock band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The band is well known for politically charged lyrics and activism, focusing on anti-war activism, anti-imperialism, class struggle, human rights, and various other sociopolitical sentiments.

N.W.A. was pretty much against everything and everybody, but they put special emphasis on the mistreatment of African Americans in the U.S. and the issue of police brutality. With the current news stories of today, Dre, Cube, E, Ren, and Yella's music will never lose its impact.

The angst of teens in inner cities, telling us what was really going on and what they saw living through it. Most of America had no idea - I didn't.

Formed in 1982, ended in 2012. They constantly shifted their musical style, drawing on genres such as punk rock, pop, folk, and experimental. The punk attitude remained their style.

Known for their Tubthumping, they turned down Nike's use of the song, later licensed it to General Motors, and then donated all the $70K they earned to anti-General Motors activist groups.

Just want to say that, for many, many reasons, they will perhaps go down as the biggest savages in music history - and one of the most mind-boggling too.

The band that was a leader in the anti-Vietnam War movement. Songs like "Fortunate Son" can really just speak for themselves.

The Vietnam War from a California Berkeley perspective.

Nah, they're honestly a little vague with their stuff on purpose so they can appeal to everyone. But once Trump supporters started following them, they began being explicitly leftist to shake them off with WOTP. Political songs have been around since their early days, but it's just less noticeable.

They have an entire album dedicated to drone warfare, a song called "Uprising," and the ultimate "screw you, Hitler" song: "Take a Bow."