Rage Against The Machine
Evil Empire
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Rage Against The Machine
Evil Empire
Epic, 1996
RiYL: Black Sabbath, NWA, Faith No More |
Producer Brendan O'Brien's influence brings the welcome concept of cohesiveness to Evil Empire. Repetitiveness and formula plague parts of the album, but the musicians work in unison on cuts like "Vietnow." A rocking symbol of the Rage sound, "Vietnow" stands out as the highlight of the album because of the band's tight playing. It's also the only new track on which singer Zack De La Rocha uses his favorite four-letter word repeatedly (and creatively).
The confrontational lyrics are the most improved aspect of the band's music. De La Rocha has discarded many of his four-letter words in favor of some with three-syllables. His rhymes are intricate and thought-provoking, working independently of the groove-laden music. "Year of the Boomerang" rings with social consciousness in lines such as "the sistas are in so check the front line/It seems I spent the '80s in a Haiti frame of mind."
"Down Rodeo," full of anti-affluence sentiment, radiates the Rage intensity listeners have come to expect. De La Rocha sings audibly for a change, and it doesn't sound half-bad. "Tire Me" is another impressive track: a showcase of the band's chops and, lyrically, a real or imagined obsession with Jackie Onassis.
Evil falters when it tries to rewrite songs from its first record. "Bulls On Parade" sounds too similar to "Fistful of Steel," especially in De La Rocha's vocal delivery. Only Tom Morello's solo stands out as any kind of variation on the band's playing style.
The record comes off a bit underwhelming, if for no other reason than the high expectations stemming from how long it took to materialize. But while Evil may not be a grand artistic statement, it does rock with the no-nonsense energy Rage Against the Machine always produces.
DAVID THOMAS |