Rage Against The Machine/Evil Empire/The Battle Of Los Angeles - Rage Against The Machine

...political punch.

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE

'Bombtrack'

'Landlords and power whores
On my people they took turns
Dispute the suits I ignite
And watch 'em burn'

The album opens on a great introduction to RATM. The composition, innovation and mood of the track hint at what is to come, but is relatively simple and easy going compared to later tracks. The track opens with ...
...but it is the vocals that provide the pace and rhythm. The bridge is formed of a simple guitar riff interrupted by muted guitar slides.

'Killing in The Name'

'Those who died are justified for wearing the badge, they're the chosen whites
You justified those that died by wearing the badge, they're the chosen whites'

Opening with an explosive guitar riff with short sharp chords, before launching ... more

In the early 90s innovative guitarist Tom Morello left his band 'Lock Up' and went in search of members for new band. After seeing rapper Zach de la Rocha playing a club he also enlisted drummer Brad Wilk and childhood friend Tim Commerford on bass. Calling themselves 'Inside Out' they put together they put together some demo tracks that would later evolve into the self-titled 'Rage Against the Machine'. This album also features Stephen Perkins on percussion and some guest vocals from Maynard James Keenan (Tool and Perfect Circle) for 'Know your Enemy'.

Released in 1992 their first album is renowned for it's high production values (some audiophile sites use tracks, in particular, 'Take the Power Back' to test speakers and amplifiers), original guitar techniques and it's hard line stance on political issues (covering social justice and equality). It was produced by Garth 'GGGarth' Richardson who has also worked with L7, Kerbdog, The Melvins, Rise Against and Skunk Anansie.

Four years later they released 'Evil Empire', a much darker and heavier album. In league with their political stand point the title is in reference to the name given to the former Soviet Union by Ronald Regan and other conservatives. It features less innovation and more melody from the guitar and more production on the vocals.

Released in 1999 just one day off the seven year anniversary of their debut album 'Battle for Los Angeles' was a final testament to their genius with notable affiliations, not least with top producer Brendan O'Brien. 'No Shelter' featured on Godzilla soundtrack, 'Guerrilla Radio' on Tony Hawkes Pro Skater 2 and promotional videos for 'Testify' and 'Sleep Now in the Fire' were directed by Michael Moore, it was voted by 'Time Magazine' as the best album of 1999, and by 'Rolling Stone' at number 426 in the greatest albums of all time in 2003.

It was heavily influenced by George Orwell's '1984' with 'Testify, 'Sleep now in the Fire' and 'Voice of the Voiceless' containing direct quotes. In my mind it is much spookier than its predecessors, but keeps the heaviness and political punch.

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE

'Bombtrack'

'Landlords and power whores
On my people they took turns
Dispute the suits I ignite
And watch 'em burn'

The album opens on a great introduction to RATM. The composition, innovation and mood of the track hint at what is to come, but is relatively simple and easy going compared to later tracks. The track opens with a heavy riff from the guitar and angst ridden drums, but it is the vocals that provide the pace and rhythm. The bridge is formed of a simple guitar riff interrupted by muted guitar slides.

'Killing in The Name'

'Those who died are justified for wearing the badge, they're the chosen whites
You justified those that died by wearing the badge, they're the chosen whites'

Opening with an explosive guitar riff with short sharp chords, before launching into their most infamous riff. This straight forward and anthemic rock track is instantly recognisable to just about anyone. The vocal composition is simple with the verses built around the same few lines repeated for brain washing emphasis, suggesting some members of the American police force are members of the KKK. . The verses are slow paced and expectant, after the first chorus you know what to expect; it is the quiet before the storm. The guitar solo (placed at number 89 on Guitar World's "100 Greatest Guitar Solos") makes heavy use of a Digitech Whammy pitch shifter which makes the sound high pitched and panic inducing, a sound that would become the trademark sound of the band. Personally it would not go down as one of my favourites as it is not easy listening, the genius though, lies in its emotive feel for what is a very short solo. The guitar chords are matched by equally furious vocals, while the percussion remains very basic and virtually indistinguishable, largely relying on the guitar and bass for rhythm.

'Take the Power Back'

'To expose and close the doors on those who try
To strangle and mangle the truth
Cause the circle of hatred continues unless we react
We gotta take the power back'

A surprisingly gentle start with a bluesy bass riff and drums that build tension before the guitar comes in. The main body of the track consists of a clear, short riff punctuated by distorted slides and muted breaks. The bridge is introduced by a screaming guitar which quickly moves to intricate and melodic as it ascends to a climax before it begins a dissention where it is met by more vocals punctuated by simple and clear chords. A gentle break with a rhythm tapped out on symbols and gentle riffs building in amplitude as the vocals gain pace creates a tension leading into the outro. The outro itself starts with a gentle melodic guitar riff before coming to an intensely aggressive climax.

'Settle for Nothing'

'If we don't take action now
We'll settle for nothing later
We'll settle for nothing now
And we'll settle for noting later'

A gentle start with a warm and foreboding bass, heightened by a wailing guitar, whispered vocals and gentle percussion. These build up until the tension breaks for the first verse breaks to a heavier and more aggressive and distorted guitar riff using the single notes built into chords to make the sound more full. The entire track is lead by a persistent, clear and off beat percussion with the emphasis alternating from foreboding and oppressive to overpowering, thus giving each mood all the more impact. The bridge opens with a lonely delicate melody (a stark contrast to the heavy chords). The vocals then replace the guitar with increasing passion and amplitude and take the track back to the final cycle of heavy chords.

'Bullet in the Head'

'Believin' all the lies that they're tellin' ya
Buying all the products that they're sellin' ya
They say jump and you say how high
Ya brain dead
Ya gotta fuckin' bullet in ya head'

The bass takes the main riff as ascending and descending riffs on the guitar take the backdrop. This track sees Morello using the Digitech Whammy again together with a Wah-wah pedal. During the verses he picks open D and G strings while having the Digitech Whammy fully open, resulting in the notes being raised 2 octaves and the sound that results is like an alarm. This unusual sound is created by picking a natural harmonic then raising the pitch on the Whammy. During the chorus the vocals and guitar take turns in taking the lead with the guitar starting with dirty low pitched chords then moving up in pitch while retaining the filth. The entire piece has a funky rhythm with a jazzy drum set and guitar backed vocals. The bridge begins with a fast paced guitar that is then joined by the bass and drums. The guitar then falls away to leave the bass taking the riff forward for the last verse and outro. The outro is vocally lead, starting with a whisper, and then leading the listener to an explosive break in tension as the rest of the band become more erratic.

'Know Your Enemy'

'What? The land of the free?
Whoever told you that was your enemy?'

Opening on an anthemic and distinctive riff that is instantly recognisable to the most casual RATM listener. It was created using a toggle switch to change between 2 pick ups, one of which is turned on, the other off which creates a tremolo affect. This effect is similar to the transform effect used by DJs, which Morello took a lot of his inspiration from. A fast paced, ascending riff then leads the listener into the verses and another fast paced riff based around the bass. For the break Keenan takes over the heavily produced vocals which are brought to an end by a crazy high pitched guitar solo again controlled by the Whammy pedal. The guitar solo itself is a crazy high pitched good thing with a sense of urgency.

'Wake Up'

'Ya know they murdered X
And tried to blame it on Islam
He turned the power to the have-nots
And then came the shot'

An unusual composition that comprises of multiple music parts that fit together much like a suite with a funk time signature. A long introduction, with opening riffs are reminiscent of Led Zeppelins' 'Kashmir' and lyrics berating the listener to speak out against racism in the US government and include a section of spoken word that is taken from a memo from J Edgar Hoover suggesting targets for the suppression of the Black Nationalist Movement. During the bridge, Morello switches between pick ups muting notes giving a more electronica sound followed by heavy and increasingly fast paced and obscenely heavy guitar chords which become quieter and expectant as they are joined by whispered vocals. The tight guitar notes then fall back to return to a rolling guitar for an interlude before coming back to an intense bass and alternating guitar chords together with spoken word using two sets of vocals are used to reiterate key lines. The intense last verse features de La Rocha screaming 'Wake Up' repeatedly, just in case you didn't get the message along to an erratic guitar, before coming to an abrupt end.

'Fistful of Steel'

'Something about silence makes me sick
Cause silence can be violent
Sorta like a slit wrist'

Introduced by a wavering guitar which falls into discord before the bass takes up the thoughtful central riff with a slow plodding beat and is answered by the vocals. In the background the guitar takes up a lonely wail while the vocals lead the piece, punctuated by the bass and drum beats acting as one and a heavy guitar riff between verses. The bass and guitar set up strong opposing forces with the bass leading the verses and the guitar taking on the choruses. There are 2 sets of vocals; one clear, while the other is distorted. The bridge, an intense duet between a painfully high pitched guitar vocals, increase in pace until they explode into a powerful outro with a heavy abrupt ending.

'Township Rebellion'

'Why stand on a silent platform?
Fight the war, fuck the norm'

In typical RATM style the bass takes the opening riff after a brief intro for the first verse with screeching interludes from the guitar and heavy chord based breaks between verses. The composition is fast paced and unforgiving with a disjointed and awkward rhythm and frequent breaks in the vocals for emphasis. In a bizarre twist the first break takes on an 80s 'stadium rock' influence, while the bass keeps it grounded and dirty. The second break features dirty guitar chords overlaid by angry whispered vocals building in intensity. The last chorus has an amazing riff, but it doesn't last long before it moves into the intricate and funky outro.

'Freedom'

'Yo, check the diagonal
Three brothers gone
Come on
Doesn't that make it three in a row?'

Based around the story of political prisoner Leonard Peltier. A Native American activist jailed in 1977 for the murder of two FBI agents amid some controversy over his guilt. Opening with a simple, clear guitar riff, the vocals quickly take the lead. This track features less experimentation on guitar and is more of a straight forward rock track than the rest of the album. Percussion uses a basic rock drum set with short sharp beats, while the bass remains very simplistic. Breaks in between vocals are filled with subdued percussion and eerie guitar. There is a brief introduction to each chorus with a barely audible line; 'Anger is a gift' before it heads into an enraged mix of sound with a melodic guitar and simple bass. The outro is a true release for the players after the track almost grinds to a halt, the tension builds up again with an ascending bass before exploding with screaming vocals and the guitar joins the bass riff as they work in unison bringing up the pace until it is exhausted and descends into discord and feedback.

EVIL EMPIRE

'People of the Sun'

'The new era of terror check this photolens, tha
City of Angels does tha ethnic clense'

Dealing with a central them of the Zapatista revolutions, it also references the destruction of the Aztec empire by the Spanish and the Zoot Suit riots of LA in 1943. An explosive mix of distorted guitars and vibrant bass, the rhythm is kept in place by everything but the percussion, which are off beat.

'Bulls on Parade'

'Weapons not food, not homes, not shoes
Not need, just feed the war cannibal animal'

With a solo that is ranked at number 23 of the '100 Greatest Guitar Solos' by 'World Guitar', this track deals with the theory that industry promotes war for profit and the government uses fear to control the masses. It features a funky riff from the lead guitar with intense use of the whammy and an explosive chorus, but it is the percussion that provides the driving force.

'Vietnow'

'The transmissions whippin' our backs
Comin' down like bats from Stacey Coon
Terror tha' product you push'

A song about right wing radio shows, the central riff bears a resemblance to the brillient 'The Wanton Song' by Led Zepplin. For the majority of the track the percussion is indistinguishable, only breaking through during brief pauses in the guitar and vocals where the percussion comes in clear, where as throughout thte rest of the track it is indistinguishable from the vocals and bass. The guitar is heavy and low pitched with occasional high pitched tweaks, with the bass playing the same riff as guitar, only breaking for the bridge where becomes oppressive, before movinf on to an outro consisting of a rolling bass and stuttering guitar overlaid by insistant vocals.

'Revolver'

'His spit is worth more that her work
Pass the purse to the pugilists'

The intro to this track is formed of distorted and disjointed guitar noise and a series of beeps, controlled to give a bizarre melody which then drops into a heavy riff. The vocals begin quietly backed by a subdued and meandering guitar and bass, but quickly moves to a heavy chorus As each verse nears close there is a build in tension and bass climaxing with chorus introduced by a strong drum beat. Introduced by a distorted and stuttering guitar, the bridge melody id kept steady by the bass while the guitar fluctuates around it, punctuated by frequent mutes and pauses. Everything becomes more subdued until it is almost silent and then, suddenly, another repetition of the ferocious chorus.

'Snakecharmer'

'An empty dream
A selfish, horrific vision
Passed on line the deadliest of viruses
Crushing you'

This intense track has my favourite riff on the album and stands out from the other tracks with much more central percussion. It is introduced by a drum roll which is taken up by an insistant lead. Use of distortion and feedback throughout the entire track aids in building the tension during verses and the release of an explosive chorus. The first half of the track uses a heavy guitar with high pitched tweaks to create a feeling of urgency. The second half has more melody finishing of with fading vocals and feedback noise. The solo features a high pitched guitar backed by a simpler second guitar and ascending bass. The outro has two sets of extreme vocals and ends on a fade with feedback from the guitar.

'Tire Me'

'Admidst the eulogues of bliss
Who will now know what I know about you?
Now that history's a flowering cancerous mess ... a mess'

Apparently written to celebrate the death of Richard Nixon, this short, sharp, storm of a track is one of my favourites on the album and is full of explosive anger. Bass takes the lead for a short intro backed by aggressive vocals and a stuttering guitar. The bridge is a short piece with pauses punctuated by drum rolls and impatient lead. After the bridge there are repetitive and insistant vocals, that become more subtle before taking the listener back to ferocious guitars.

'Down Rodeo'

'Yeah I'm rollin' down Rodeo wit a shotgun
These people ain't seen a brown skin man
Since their grandparents bought one'

A direct attack on Rodeo Drive in Beverley Hills, one of the wealthiest shopping districts in the world, featuring a simple synth melody, heavy guitars and confrontational lyrics. Typically, there is a short intro, taken up by the vocals, the bass taking the central melody and an alarming lead acting as puncuation for the end of each line.The riffs are far less innovative and share close ties with the grunge scene than previous tracks. During the verses an eerie synth backs the vocals in an effective opposition to the heavy and simplistic choruses. During the outro, the composition flips so that the vocals punctuate the guitar with repetitive lines before they become quieter. The guitar sounds lonely, but the warmth from the bass remains, ending with whispered vocals and a thoughtful fade.

'Without a Face'

'Survive one motive no hope cause every
Sidewalk I walk is like a tightrope
Yes I know my deadline sire, it's when my life expires.'

Opens with a fluctuating single note from the guitar which continues behind the first verse. The verses themselves are vocally lead, with a quietly foreboding bass. The lead drops in pitch to introduce the chorus and heads into a funky riff with an intensely heavy edge, signalling the beginning of the chorus. The entire track is driven by the guitar, while the bass is warm and bluesy. The outro is introduced by an angry, schreeching lead and leads into a 2 chord riff driving the vocals into demise.

'Wind Below'

'And while the gut eaters strain to pull the mud from their mouths
They force our ears to go deaf to the screams in the south'

Introduced with an eerie guitar riff. This track uses a second set of muted and reverberated vocals so that it retaliates against itself and is backed by heavy chords during the chorus. During the verses a simple guitar, bass and percussion places emphasis on the vocals. Bridge consists of ascending and descending chords for a high pitched reverberated eerie lead with a cool bass. Bass takes on a new riff for the outro as heavy power chords take the listener to a powerful finish, before descending intro dischord and feedback.

'Roll Right'

'Here comes the hands of the leashes
The cross, the capital. the pale families, the fear and the mouthpieces'

A dark and moody intro with an insistant lead guitar gives way to a funky bass with high pitched squeaks from the lead controlled by the 'Digitech' Whammy pedal and pick up switch. The chorus is controlled by the lead guitar, while bass holds together the verses. The vocals and guitars are desperate and insistant and have minimal and disorganised backing from the rest of the band.

'Year of tha Boomerang'

'Cast me into classes for the electro shock
Straight incarcerated, the curriculum a cell block

I'm swimming in half truths and it makes me wanna spit.'
This track has a bizarre time signiture that makes it sound almost awkward. The bass and guitar used the same riff slightly off set with the bass acting as a reply to the guitar. Similarly the vocals have a second set of reverberted vocals behind them. The bridge features a heavy rolling guitar that melts into a tiny, somewhat out of place, melody. The passion filled and erratic outro is vocally lead, backed by rolling guitars that become increasingly distorted before it careers to a stop, pausing briefly to gather itself before moving on.

BATTLE OF LOS ANGELES

Testify

'Mister anchor assure me
That Baghdad is burning
Your voice it is so soothing
That cunning mantra of killing'

Introduced by a reverberating guitar playing painful, screeching slides backed by a simple, tension building bass, this track is no gentle introduction to the album and takes the listener straight into heavy and fast based confrontation. The vocals themselves provide the rhythm with the percussion following its lead and bass guitar forming the background for the verses. The bridge features a funky guitar and fast paced hushed rap followed by an intricate solo in keeping with the original slide, but more melodic and tamed.

Guerrilla Radio

'More for Gore of the son of a drug lord
None of the above fuck it cut the cord'

Themed around the 2000 presidential election and the perceived worthlessness of democracy in the US. It is a heavy track, but with distinct funk tendencies coming through during the verses, especially from the bass and a catchy duet between guitar and percussion. The vocally lead chorus is almost entirely heavy noise held together by the guitar and bass following the same riff. The solo, introduced by an ascending guitar and bass riff uses effects to make it sound like a harmonica and is cut short by hushed vocals, which are in turn cut short by heavy guitar chords and bringing the listener back to the main track with an explosive finish.

Calm Like a Bomb

'I be walkin' God like a dog
My narrative fearless
My world war returns to burn
Like Baldwin home from Paris'

A bass lead track which sees both guitar and bass using their pedals extensively. Introduced by a calm bass before the intense start to the main body. Throughout the bass makes use of a Wah-wah pedal and a home made pedal of Cummerford's own design while the guitar uses a whammy to rapidly raise the pitch and create what Morello describes as 'pterodactyl' noises. The bridge is an unsettling and unrefined guitar solo backed by bass. Added depth comes from two sets of vocals, the first highly produced, acting as background to the second which is left largely untouched.

Mic Check

'Those naked and wageless
Now scream within cages'

A dark, moody track that juxtapositions a brooding bass with a panic ridden guitar. It starts with layers of an eerie guitar riff reverberated slightly and angry vocals. Again, there is heavy pedal use on the bass giving the track an ominous industrial / sci-fi feel. The bridge is urgent, disorganised and discordant with an alarming bass played at a slightly higher pitch, while the vocals use audio positioning to give the impression of several vocalists.

Sleep now in the Fire

'I am the Mina, the Pinta, the Santa Maria
The noose and the rapist, the field overseer
The Agents of Orange
The priests of Hiroshima
The cost of my desire'

An erratic track, but skillfully put together. It is rather short, but remains one of my favourites. Not wanting to miss anything out, it references the conquest of the Native Americans, US slavery, the bombing of Hiroshima, the use of Agent Orange and the collapse of the Soviet Union forcing the acceptance of capitalism. It starts as it means to go on with furious vocals and furious guitar. On the whole it is one of their more mainstream tracks on the album with a more reliable beat, catchy riff and orthodox time signature. It is vocally lead, held together by a feint bass. The guitar solo makes skilful use of a whammy again to bring up the pitch before bringing the track crashing to an end.

Born of a Broken Man

'Forever awake he lies shaking and starving
Praying for someone to turn off the light'

Introduced by a melodic, melancholy riff leading to heavier chords based on the same melody. The composition is simple with tension building verses with hushed vocals and subdued guitars leading up to a release for the chorus featuring loud and heavy chords and furious vocals. The guitar solo features the same central riff, only here it is more subtle. The percussion is hollow and reverberated for the verses, becoming heavier to fit in for the chorus.

Born as ghosts

'The hills find peace
Locked armed guards post
Safe from the screams
Of the children born as Ghosts'

A complicated composition seemingly disorganised with layered vocals slightly out of time with each other. The chorus revels in it's heaviness with painful stuttering slides on the guitar and a muted bass giving an industrial feel. Bass uses a Wah-wah to create a bizarre noise that is used frequently during the verses. The bridge is split in to two halves; the first part a painful guitar that becomes softer for the second half where it is joined by the bass.

Maria

'She stuffed ten to a truck bed
She clutches her cross
Here comes tha exhaust
And it rips through her lungs

Opening on a painful and panic inducing continual note from guitar almost drowning out the relatively subtle vocals and gentle bass. When that cuts out the vocals come through clear punctuated by guitar chords. The end of each chorus briefly brings in a clearer guitar riff before returning to the beginning of the cycle. Heavy pedal use on the guitar solo again is forceful and distorted while holding the melody. He then uses the whammy to up the pitch to a panic driven riff leading into an abrupt finish.

Voice of the Voiceless

'And Orwell's hell a terror era coming through
But this little brother's watching you to'

A Celtic influenced riff that uses pedals to manipulate the mood with tweaks and discordant glitches alternating with a basic rock guitar riff around the vocals, drowning them out in places. Typically, Morello uses pedals to distort the guitar sound so that it is barely recognisable in places. The percussion is basic and lead by the guitar during the breaks in-between verses.

New Millennium Homes

'Tha spirit of Jackson
Now screams through tha ruins
Through factory chains
And tha ghost of tha union'

'New Millennium Homes' features two themes; the story of George Jackson, a young black man on death row and a member of the Black Panther Party and people wanting security for the future. Vocally lead with the guitar providing rhythm and percussion following suit. It opens with a heavy bass riff, pauses, and then heads into the main track with an urgent guitar using a basic and rhythmic riff, basic percussion, keeping it all under control and mocking vocals. Post production layers the vocals to give the effect of many vocalists using audio positioning.

Ashes In The Fall

'Listen to the fascist sing
Take hope here
War is elsewhere
You were chosen
This is God's land'

The introduction features an obscenely high pitched guitar grounded by a calmer and persistent bass giving a surreal mood. The vocals are slightly reverberated so that they sound a little too clear to be comfortable, like the singer is standing in an empty room. The track as a whole is moderately paced, the percussion however is very fast, increasing tension against the more subdued guitars. The guitar riff which is featured throughout the track is simple and almost childlike, but this only makes it all the more ominous especially when set against the heavy distortion that is to come in the solo where it picks up the original riff and tears it apart with abandon, before easing into a timely death.

War Within a Breath

'War within a breath
It's land or death'

The last track is darker and more haunting that the majority of the album. Though throughout the album there are several links to industrial sound and it is never more apparent than in the immediately engaging 'War Within a Breath'. Guitar and bass follow the same ascending riff with the guitar coming away at points to strike out on its own. Post production and de la Rocha's talent as a rapper create two characters with in the track, one tension building and hushed the other loud and ferocious and changing the audio positioning for each character. It ends on a seemingly endless single high pitched note.

No Shelter

'Godzilla pure mother fuckin' filler
Get your eyes off the real killer'

This track only features on the European and Australian releases as a bonus track. It discusses how the media and movies distract the public from important issues. 

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