Rage Against the Machine
Evil Empire
Label: Epic
Genre: Alternative
Rating: 77
Three and a half years after unleashing its first
in-your-face hybrid of heavy rock and hip-hop, Rage Against the
Machine returns with a sophomore effort that's as exciting as its
predecessor. Evil Empire is another roiling assembly of songs that
stomp across a desperate terrain of cultural repression, greed, and
fading hopes. That said, it's easier to lock step with frontman Zack
De La Rocha when he garrotes conservative talk shows ("Vietnow")
and military maneuvers ("Bulls on Parade") than when he champions
— however rightly — the cause of independence-seeking Zapatista
farmers in Mexico. But beyond the words is De La Rocha's delivery,
all spit and rabid rage. That, Tom Morello's style-defying guitar
attack, and a bottomless bag of sonic tricks ensure that Rage
remains an electrifying and subversive force. — Gary Graff |
Rage Against the Machine
Battle of Los Angeles
Label: Epic
Genre: Alternative
File Under: Fight the power
Rating: 82
Since Rage Against the Machine debuted
some eight years ago, its mix of hard
rock, grunge, and rap has become a
cottage industry. Kid Rock, Limp Bizkit,
and many others have employed it to
great effect, though without Rage's
integrity or political activism. On The
Battle of Los Angeles, the quartet continues to use its music as a
propaganda tool for radical organizing, and creates some
thought-provoking music in the process.
As on previous albums, the group proves adept at making thrash
breakbeats. On cuts like "Maria," the music hums along while lead
vocalist-rapper Zack de la Rocha throttles the beat with his
trademark passion then suddenly burns brightly during the chorus,
like an awakened giant. Throughout, guitarist Tom Morello
amazingly replicates turntable scratches and the eerie sound of the
theremin, while drummer Brad Wilk and bassist Y.tim.K back him
up. Zack, for his part, rhymes with the intensity of an MC. "My word
war returns to burn/ Like Baldwin home from Paris," he shouts on
"Calm Like a Bomb," an homage to Public Enemy's "Louder Than a
Bomb."
Rather than focusing on guns, ho's, and clothes, however, he
addresses the barbarity of America's capitalist system and its
victimization of the underclass. Sometimes he speaks of it directly
("Maria," "Testify"), other times he refers to it through tales of his
lyrical prowess ("Mic Check (Once Hunting Now Hunted)"). Like
Chuck D., the prototypical hard rhymer and Black Power advocate,
Zack fashions himself as a guerilla, calm like a bomb. "I be walkin'
god like a dog," he raps.
Though Rocha's approach is admirable, it lacks subtlety. On The
Battle of Los Angeles, everyone is a "vulture," "rebel," or "survivor."
Frequent comparisons are made between slavery and modern times:
on "Calm Like a Bomb" Rocha says, "There's a field full of slaves/
Some corn and some debit/ There's a ditch full of bodies/ Tha check
for the rent." But he never names names or cites specific incidents.
Despite the graphic imagery, his rhymes rarely explore the
complexities of a capitalist society that builds governments — and
undermines revolutions.
Rage Against the Machine should be lauded for its courage to
address America's social, political, and economic deficiencies. But
its reduction of U.S. politics to a war between the haves and the
have-nots is simplistic. Comparatively speaking, their songs lack
Public Enemy's detailed references to current events, Consolidated's
innovative subject matter, or Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy's wry
commentary. The Battle of Los Angeles is a furious testament that
needs more substance. — Mosi Reeves |