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19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Another fine album from a great band, September 10, 2005
Sophomore albums can be tricky, but the band only goes through a sophomore slump if their debut was a success. This was the case with Rage Against the Machine; their self-entitled, 1992 debut was a great one, so Rage had to be careful when it came time to write the new album. But great bands do great things, so "Evil Empire" was another great album.
RATM were a great band on several different levels. They formed to spread Zach de la Rocha's political message, but since they (especially guitarist Tom Morello) are such great musicians, the were capable of appealing to everybody, including those who didn't agree with their lyrics. That's how I became a fan, actually; I heard their songs on the radio and I thought they sounded awesome, so I picked up their C.D.'s. And only then did I start to pay attention to, contemplate and appreciate the lyrics.
But Zach and Tom were also great because they were so innovative and influential. Zach was about the first vocalist to meld rap and rock...but he sure wasn't the last. And, if you listen closely enough, you'll hear a lot of bands (bands from Limp Bizkit to Meshuggah) imitate Tom Morello's picking.
I believe Rage Against the Machine were a hard rock band because they were always inspired by something, and always pissed off. This may explain why Audioslave is almost an alternative metal band (they don't have as nearly as much anger to vent). And it's too bad Audioslave is quite a bit softer, because I think Tom was meant to play hard rock. It's also too bad that Rage disbanded, because, with recent events, I'm sure Zach de la Rocha would have plenty of things to write and rap about.
"People of the Sun" has a famous opening guitar riff and an unusually loud, beeping bass. Zach eventually launches into the first verse, which is a very political tirade about the Mexican people's revolution against the government. Tom makes some sound effects, letting Zach run wild-filling this song to the brim with angry rapping. This is more of a rap song than metal.
-Best lyric: "Yea, never forget that the whip snapped ya back/ya spine cracked for tobacco."
"Bulls on Parade" is one of Rage's most recognizable songs. It has groovy, "ner nah ner" sounding guitar noise, which periodically change to wah-wah guitar riffs, and more pissed off rapping (about people who run around shooting everybody else). The real highlight to me, here, is the guitar solo. What is that guy doing to his fret board?!
-Best lyric: "They don't gotta burn the books/they just remove `em"
"Revolver" begins with a low, humming noise, before the guitars and the beat explode around forty seconds in. Zach is, at first, almost whispering, and I enjoy the almost galloping beat which leads into the chorus (which has some downshifting riffs and more of Zach's famous yells). I also enjoy the ten second, thumping bass drum solo following the second chorus.
-Best lyric: "Hey revolver/don't mothers make good fathers?"
"Snakecharmer" is very catchy. It has a lunging beat with stop-start riffs, at the end of which Zach yells "Yeah!" Plus, there's a small hand drum solo thrown in, as well.
"Tire Me" has another great, bending, up and down guitar solo,
and "Down Rodeo" has catchy, beeping guitar riffs and another audible, lowly rumbling bass. Zach does his usual thing in this song, but then a great, abrupt beat change kicks in and Zach starts yelling "Just a quiet, peaceful death!"
-Best lyric: "These people ain't seen a brown-skinned man since their grandparents bought one."
So, "Evil Empire" is another classic, standard setting album which finely displays Rage's talent. Ultimately, it's not as groundbreaking as their debut, it's (musically) not a big step forward from their debut, and it is, in my opinion, RATM's least inspired disc. Even still, "EE" is an excellent C.D. and I recommend it to all hard rock/rapcore/political rock fans. So what's that say for this band--that "Evil Empire" might be their worst disc, but it's still great? It means that they were a truly great band which lead a remarkable and nearly flawless career.
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19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great album, but not as groundbreaking as their debut, February 5, 2003
Say whatever you will about Rage Against the Machine's political agenda; whether it was dead on the money or misguided is up to the listener, but what can be agreed on is "Evil Empire", Rage's long awaited follow up to their groundbreaking self titled debut album, is a great headbanging album that displays the band's talents at they're full extents. Vocalist Zack De La Rocha can rap as furious as any hip hopper, and sounds better on here than he did on the self titled album. Guitarist Tom Morello, bassist Tim Commorford, and drummer Brad Wilk round out the rhythm section, all of which are fantastic musicians (although I liked Morello's solos better on the first album), and adrenaline charged songs like "People of the Sun", "Bulls on Parade", "Vietnow", and "Tire Me" are all great songs, maybe some of Rage's best, but "Evil Empire" is best listened to for the band itself, not any kind of political agenda. Eventually Zack would leave the band in 2000, and the rest of the band would form Audioslave with former Soundgarden singer Chris Cornell; and Rage is sadly missed by their loyal following of fans. All in all, "Evil Empire" is a great album, but I suggest checking out Rage's debut first, an album that is more focused lyrically and musically than any other album in Rage's catalog.
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9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
There are a lot of naive listeners here, May 22, 2005
At first when I listened to the album, I was all in for the good riffs and the angrish rage. But I did not understand the meanings or their aim. If I kept this perspective, I would have blindly reviewed their material and commenting only on morello's guitar talent, or the potential this band could have, or zack's political rants. But, as I did some research over the meaning, and this is what I found on zack's site.
People of the Sun
This song was first written about the original California Chicano natives. But as the song developed more, the lyrics changed to focus on the Zapatista Movement in southern Mexico. The Zapatistas, an army of indigenous farmers in Chiapas, Mexico, launched an armed uprising on January 1, 1994.
Bulls on Parade
Bulls on Parade discusses the American structure of force -- from the armed forces to the C.I.A.
Vietnow
This song slams right wing AM radio shows such as "The G. Gordon Liddy Show", "Rush Limbaugh" and "The Laura Schleschinger Show". With completle media control, these programs are able to dominate airwaves with propaganda of the right. Fear is what controls those who listen to these programs.
Revolver
Zack describes the horrific conditions of domestic violence u.
Snakecharmer
01 (Hugh Pouliot): The struggle and sorrow of being revolutionary.
02 (Phillip Lomax): A snakecharmer controls a snake and the song is about you being controled and used by people who say they are your friends, but these people are lying and dont want to know you when something new comes along example lyrics:- "Your friendship disapears when the wind re-directs!" This song could also point to you being used by your government!
Tire Me
Zack has said that this song was written to "celebrate the death of Richard Nixon". I think it's rather self-explanatory.
Rollin' Down Rodeo
The poor people in the ghetto must direct their anger toward the class which causes their misery. This is most easily done by rolling down Rodeo Drive with a shotgun in hand. The lower classes only kill themselves by destroying eachother and their neighbourhoods. also this song is about racism against rich blacks, and how they are unofficially banned from places like rodeo drive "these people ain't seen a brown - skinned man since thier grandparents bought one"
Without a Face
Explaining the plight of Mexican immigrants in America. United States officials and representatives build Berlin Walls across the border to preserve the 'purity of christian values'.
Wind Below
This was based on the essay, "The Southeast in Two Winds" by Subcomandante Marcos. Marcos describes the Zapatistas, and the Chiapas as "the wind below"...as it is rising up, and a storm is brewing. This song is about the movement, and the EZLN's fight for justice. The United States media silences the movement.
Roll Right
"Send them to the seventh level" is referring to Dante's nine levels of hell, the seventh being the place where war-mongers are sent.
Year of the Boomerang
Frantz Fanon coined the phrase "Year of the Boomerang" in a speech about the time when violent uprisings will come back and nail imperialists in the face.
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~ Rage Against The Machine
~ Rage Against The Machine
~ Rage Against The Machine
~ Rage Against The Machine
~ Audioslave
by Rage Against the Machine 
