Evil Empire - Rage Against The Machine > Reviews > Evil Empire - educating the youth

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Groundbreaking
Lyrics	Sublime
Quality and consistency of tracks	A couple of weak links
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Good
Value for Money

Advantages:	Poltically motivated lyrics, innovative music, great songs
Disadvantages:	some say too similar to other rage albums (I disagree), not for the faint of heart

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Rage Against the Machine started in the early 1990's, playing in the underground LA rock scene. They had an (at the time) unique mix of rap and hard rock, with Zack De La Rocha's politically motivated lyrics being rapped ferociously. Tom Morello is widely seen as one of the most innovative guitarists in history - he has made sounds that you would not think possible with a guitar (many people, wrongly, assume that Rage have a DJ - it's all made by instruments!). They signed onto Sony (some say this is hypocritical considering the political nature of Rage, however their argument has always been that they need to spread their word) and released 'Rage Against The Machine' in 1991 (or 1992) which was a huge success and is still regarded as a legendary album. This is the band's second album,'Evil Empire', released in 1996. Nowadays, the band is no more. Zack is doing solo work, the rest of the band teamed up with ex-Soundgarden singer Chris Cornell to form Audioslave.

Firstly, I think this is a hugely underrated album. It will never get much airplay on mtv, because mtv is part of the corporate America rage stands against. Many people give Rage one listen, then turn it off thinking that they are no more than a noisy, angry band. This is only partly true! Their music is far more than that. I will go through the album song by song. Firstly though, 'Evil Empire' refers to a Ronald Reagan speech. As told by Zack De La Rocha (singer of RATM):

"Toward the end of the Cold War, the Reagan administration constantly tried to breed this fear in the American public by referring to the Soviet Union as the Evil Empire. We've kind of come to understand that you can pretty much flip that on its head to see that the US has been responsible for many of the atrocities in the late 20th century."

PEOPLE OF THE SUN:

Nominated for a grammy for best hard rock performance in 1998.

The song is primarily about the plight of the Mexican people. "Since 1516, minds attacked and overseen" when the Spaniards invaded and destroyed much of the local culture. There are also references to the Vietnam war, the 'Marlboro Man', and ethnic cleansing in Los Angeles (referring to laws subtely aimed at oppressing the Latin Americans there). NOte that RATM's singer is of Latin American heritage, and lived in Los Angeles. He is also rumoured at one point to have helped on the front line with the Zapatistas!

Musically this is a powerful, catchy song in my opinion. A typical funky, heavy rage song.

BULLS ON PARADE:

This is about the Zapatista movement in Mexico (the fight of the Mexican people against American interference).

There are some wacky Morello guitar ideas in this song, such as his 'turn table' sound scratching of strings. Like Poeple Of The Sun, this is a relentless hard rocking yet funky song.

VIETNOW:

According to the RATM faq at http://www.accidentprone.com/ragefaq/ramfaq32.txt:

"This song is one huge reference to the popular and right-wing radio shows hosted by such people as Rush Limbaugh, Watergate burglar G. Gordon Liddy and son of Ronald Reagan, Michael Reagan. They all put forth similar reactionary agendas over the US airwaves."

There is a reference to Oliver North, who was found to be funding counter-revolutionaries in Nicaragua. He was not convicted due to a technicality and now hosts a radio talk show and has run for senate.

Stacey Coon is mentioned ("Comin' down like bats from Stacey Coon"). He was the only convicted police officer for the beating of black motorist Rodney King in the 90s.

This song is one of those that, if you did not know it's meaning, could seem idiotic ("turn on the radio, nah, f*** it, turn it off" being repeated at the start for example. But it isn't!!! More hard riffing rock from rage in this song.

REVOLVER:

A more punk sounding song from Rage. Not my favourite. Some amazing guitar effects at the beginning (NB all sounds are made with the instruments, and effects pedals - i.e. no computer generated sounds!).

I believe this song is about sexism and fathers who bully or leave their families. "His spit is worth more than her work".

SNAKECHARMER:

I have never been sure about the lyrics to this song. I believe it is about geed and selfishness for example "Your frienship is a fog that disappears when the wind redirects ".

TIRE ME:

A manic, punk song, the message being that
you cannot put this band down. References to the 'Laos frontiersmen' (the Hmong tribe from Laos) who were used by the CIA to fight for them in the Vietnam war (the CIA dropped in the weapons for them). They were promised preferential treatment, and land of their own in return. However, when the Americans left, none of this was fulfilled, only bodies were left behind (ad the Americans went with heroin to fund future covert operations). Of course none of this is reported in mainstream news... still here is something http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=17252

The song also mentions 'Jackie Onassis', a symbol of glamour (ex wife of JFK).

DOWN RODEO:

One of my favourite Rage songs. A brilliant riff leads us into the song, which proceeds into a political rap verse, followed by hard rock riff chorus, etc.

In this song the band pay homage to the Family Stone, one of the first rap/funk bands.

The song itself is about 'Rodeo' Drive, one of the most exclusive roads in Beverly Hills, California. Of course you will mainly see white, rich people shopping here for their $2000 gloves and $3000 purses! "These people ain't seen a brown skinned man since their grandparents bought one". The song is about the hatred that can be instilled in the coloured community when it sees this, and what it may have to resort to - 'rolling down Rodeo with a shotgun'. Why might they have to resort to this? Because "we hungry but them belly full" (this is also a reference to a Bob Marley song).

The song also goes into the lack of free speech in America despite the first amendment ' "plead the 5th because you can't plead the 1st". Interestingly, this was proved as, after September 11th, RATM were banned from most radio stations in the US for some time which was outrageous considering that RATM have nothing to do with terrorism - just because their lyrics contained anti US government references.

WITHOUT A FACE:

"War Without A Face" - in other words, the war being fought is not against any one person, rather the whole system. As the lyrics go on, it is the system that allowed DDT (a carcinogenic pesticide) to be used, and still (in spite of bans) be used in some areas. The system that makes people 'Jack for Simalac, f*** a Cadillac' (poor people having to rob for basic necessities). There are also references to the SS, the Shining Path movement in Peru, Pete Wilson (ex Republican governor of California who was extremely anti - immigration, to the point that any illegal immigrants would have received NOTHING, no food, no money whilst in the area). They would have starved, and fortunately the courts ruled against Wilson.

Musically the song starts as a rap/funk song, before becoming more aggresive and rocky in the chorus. Another good song for bobbing your head to, as most Rage songs are.

WIND BELOW:

from the RATM faq mentioned before:

" The "Wind Below" refers to a book called "Chiapas: The Southeast in Two Winds, a Storm and a Prophecy", by Subcommandante Marcos. Marcos is the unofficial spokesperson of the EZLN (Zapatistas) in Mexico and the second section of the book is entitled "The Second Wind: The Wind From Below." The line "We in wit tha wind below," is a reference to the whole of the Zapatista movement itself." The Zapatistas fight for the right for the Mexican people to have land and freedom, as opposed to having the land they live on sold to American corporations by the Mexican government!

The reference to NAFTA ("NAFTA comin' in with the new disaster") is raising concerns about the virtual slave labour available in Mexico to US profit seeking firms.

ROLL RIGHT:

A mesmerizing riff starts this song, Jimmy Page would have been proud! The song is about bringing the truth to the people ("shock you like Ellison") - Ellison wrote 'Invisible Man' in 1952 about a black man living in a white world. There are references to the prison system in the song, as well as Tianamen Square and the Gaza strip. The chorus line is screamed 'SEND 'EM TO THE 7TH LEVEL" - meaning send the oppressors to the 7th level of hell, when 'zero hour comes'. i.e. Rise Up!

THE YEAR OF THE BOOMERANG:

Named after a speech by Franz Fannon. He wrote about the wrongs of colonialisation of the 3rd world. Specifically in this speech he refferred to the oppressor's force 'boomeranging' back
towards him through colonial revolutions in Algeria. "Grip the cannon like Fannon".

"I got no property but yo I'm a piece of it
So let tha guilty hang
I got no property but yo I'm a piece of it
In the year of tha boomerang

Yeah!
Now it's upon you! "

The song is about rising up against your oppressor.

References to Nazi concentration camps ("It's Dark now in Dachau") are made, as well as to a Chinese proverb (to die for your people is as heavy as Mount Tie, to die for imperialists is as light as a feather).

"Power To The People" - this line possibly sums RATM up.

Thanks for reading. I hope I have shown some people about the deeper meanings to many Rage Against The Machine songs, and how they are much more than just another rap/rock/nu metal band - MUCH more.
 

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