Raging better than ever

Evil Empire
Rage Against the Machine
Sony Music
Reviewed by Michael Bramwell

"Che Guevara's Guerrilla Warfare", "The Marx-Engels Reader", "Women in the Transition to Socialism", "The Indian Uprising in Chiapas". Not titles one would expect to be mentioned in a music production distributed by the Sony corporation — unless, of course, it's a money-maker, as the current release from Rage Against the Machine no doubt is.

Nevertheless, it's encouraging to find a band using its mainstream success to bring alternative views (logical views at that) to a public that otherwise receives garbage morning, noon and night.

Like this album's predecessor, the lyrics all point to the evils of capitalism. More importantly, the words in this release point to struggles past and present: US imperialist invasion of neighbouring nations, the black rights movement, the struggle for independence in the Mexican highlands.

It all points to the polarisation between modern day society and basic human freedom: "Cause tha bosses right ta live is mine ta die .../ I got no property but yo I'm a piece of it,/ So let tha guilty hang,/ In tha year of tha boomerang."

This is just damn good music to listen to. The songs seep with passion, and the music with talent and an originality that combines rock with rap with hardcore and many bizarre sounds, all created from the standard guitar, bass drum and vocal set-up. Those tending towards the quieter side of the music spectrum would probably prefer to give this album a miss.

Unlike many popular politically like-minded bands of the past, Rage Against the Machine is as far away from pretension as one could get. Easily available music of this stature should not be missed.

From GLW issue 236