[music] Rage Against The Machine, Evil Empire (1996)

Epic Records
Total Running Time - 46:32

Personnel
Zack De La Rocha - Vocals; Tim Bob - Bass; Brad Wilk - Drums; Tom Morello - Guitars

1. People of the Sun
2. Bulls on Parade
3. Vietnow
4. Revolver
5. Snake Charmer
6. Tire Me
7. Down Rodeo
8. Without a Face
9. Wind Below
10. Roll Right
11. Year of the Boomerang


For me, a good band or artist is one that you keep learning new things about, either with each release, or even with each listening. After listening to Evil Empire, the long-awaited follow-up to Rage Against the Machine's angry 1992 debut, I've learned at least one very important thing about this band: Guitarist Tom Morello may very well be one of the most innovative axe-slingers in rock music today. From the opening riff of "People of the Sun", Morello coaxes some truly bizarre and interesting sounds from his six strings, and always to good effect. Morello has a strong foundation to work with, as bassist Tim Bob and drummer Brad Wilk lay down some muscular grooves that are both heavy and funky. The group almost seems more relaxed with this effort, as some of the tracks on their first album sounded a little stilted.

This doesn't imply that the group has relaxed its overall attitude. Far from it. Frontman Zack De La Rocha is still pretty pissed off about the state of the world today, and unleashes his invective with all of the subtlety of a rhinocerous trying to sneak through an antique store. Not that it's a bad thing. De La Rocha's passion often transcends what it is that he's saying, which becomes important when you consider that a lot of the alternakids that listen to him have no idea what he's talking about. This time around, he targets subjects from hate-fostering radio hosts ("Vietnow") to the sorry state of race relations in Los Angeles ("Down Rodeo") with equal fervor and abandon. For all of their anger, Rage works hard to educate its fans about the problems they see in society. Can one band make a difference in righting these alleged wrongs? Rage certainly seems to think so. The liner notes to the album include addresses of organizations such as the Anti-Nazi League, Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, and the Leonard Peltier Defense Commitee. Morello's mother is also a leading crusader against censorship in the music industry. Their official web site has more information about all of these causes.

All in all, Rage Against the Machine has established that they are a band with a sound, a message and a purpose, and challenge their fans to stand up and believe in something. That in itself is noble enough, but along the way they have created some solid, inspiring music that makes them more then just angry young men on a soap box.