Rage Against the Machine – Evil Empire (1996)

I remember when I first heard about Rage Against the Machine. I was an early teenager, not long after the release of this album. My best friend at the time introduced me to many heavier sounding bands of the time, such as The Smashing Pumpkins, Korn and Rage Against the Machine. I remember being really excited with the song Bulls on Parade. It was more aggressive than any other music I had ever heard, and I had just spent a couple of years listening to trash metal and hard rock. That song made me buy the album, but for a long time, that was the only song I really and truly enjoyed. Back in the day, Rage Against the Machine sounded a bit too un-melodic to my taste and I didn't really explore the rest of their repertoire. It was only years later when I found myself with a girlfriend who like metal, including Rage Against the Machine that I started listening a bit more of them and this time, I liked them a lot more.



Even at the time when I wasn't too keen on Rage Against the Machine, I did hear them around quite a lot. Quite a few of my friends liked them and it was inevitable to hear quite a lot of them. I don't know what eventually made me like them more than I had before. I guess my musical horizons started expanding around that time anyhow. When I was younger, all the music I listened to had to be really melodic, but nowadays I can also see the point of less-melodic approaches as well. I'm still not that much into hip hop, but I guess Rage Against the Machine has enough funkiness and great metal riffs that I can appreciate them.

Also, what makes Rage Against the Machine interesting is their political lyrics. They basically identify as anarchists and pretty much everything in their music is political. Evil Empire, the title of the album refers to Ronald Reagan's slur name for Soviet Union. Rage Against the Machine was criticising the US leaders of building walls for the Mexican border at the same time as they liked to take credit for bringing down the wall in Germany. It almost seems like they predicted the even more serious wall-related shenanigans at the border now at the age of Trump.

The album starts with People of the Sun. It's clear from the very start what the intensity of this album is going to be like. There are funky bass lines, screamed rap-style lyrics and piercing electric guitars that give this band a completely unique sound. Bulls On Parade was the biggest hit from the album. I was specifically into the amazing wah-pedal sounds in the song, being a learning guitar player myself. Vietnow has abrupt rushes of riffing from the guitar and bass while the drums keep the tempo steady. The chorus is more full on chaos. Revolver brings in interesting buzzing sounds that zoom in and out in stereo. Eventually the song grows into an ominous and hypnotic slow song that grows towards the end. Snakecharmer is one of the funkiest songs on the album. I've never seen the band live, but I'm imagining this to have been an amazing song on their gigs. Tire Me features very 90s style metallic bass sounds and hectic drive-by tempos. This is the kind of song that I probably couldn't stand all those years ago when I had bought the album, but which I kind of like nowadays. Down Rodeo has some slightly more mainstream sounds and there's a clearer melody in the riffs. Without a Face is more of a straightforward rap song in the beginning, until it explodes with heavy guitar walls and funky bass. Wind Below is a strange song with whistling electric guitar riff that almost reminds me of Cypress Hill (by the way, another band that my best friend around 1996 was also very much into). Roll Right has overdriven bass lines and lazy sounding electric guitar slides, while the vocals are as hectic as ever. The album ends with Year of tha Boomerang that brings back a head-nodding funky rhythm.

I remember the music video for Bulls On Parade quite well from MTV. The video is a messy, half black and white video featuring live scenes as well as angry-looking demonstrators with red and black flags in hands. And of course there's some police brutality in there as well.

I recently noticed that Rage Against the Machine is excellent running music. It really pumps the adrenaline up and makes you give your best. Evil Empire remains the only Rage Against the Machine album I own, but I think I need to fix that soon, because I'm really enjoying them now.

Listen to the album on Spotify.