Today is a celebration of noise, fire, and to many, the last great album of the 90's, and of course the last century. Rage Against the Machine was simply a testament to how crazy the 90's was, and their final studio album (outside of the cover album Renegades), shows they went out with a bang. With Evil Empire and their impeccable self titled album, they combined hard rock, punk, heavy metal, and most notably hip hop and funk, yet the combination is so interesting and it all wraps up with great production values, and unmatched fury. Even if 1996's Evil Empire couldn't live up to the debut, the third was so passionate, yet completely visceral and interesting, making it an undeniable recommendation to any rocker looking for something different.This was the album that truly got me into music, I was never so awe inspired by a piece of work. The lead singer, Zack De La Rocha is a rapper, while some bands like the Red Hot Chili Peppers and 311 combined funky rhymes to a rock band, Zack's political fury and attack is a quality that can't even be found in even the speediest of thrash metal bands(except Sepultura). Tom Morello as lead guitarist kept my interest in the band even after a straight year of being addicted to this album for his experimental guitar style. At his least, the solo to Guerrilla Radio sounds like a harmonica and the intro and verses of Testify are little more than added wah. However Rage's best quality is how they seem so focused on their political rivals, so whether or not you agree with their ideals, the experience is so enjoyable for how pissed the band is throughout the entire album, and bassist Tim Commerford and Drummer Brad Wilk just helped the perfection.
The singles found in the beginning, Testify, Guerrilla Radio, Calm Like a Bomb, and Sleep Now In The Fire, are entirely good in their own right, and give listeners a great glimpse into Morello's "experiments", but it is in no way where the album shines. The latter half of the album starting with the turbulent perfection of the soft/ loud mechanic in Born of a Broken Man, doesn't show Tom's style, but Zack is incredibly passionate about his past experiences and shouts that passion out perfectly. Most every other song left me breathless especially from Voice of The Voiceless towards Ashes In The Fall, and once the chorus of that song jumps out of your speakers, prepare to drop your jaws. The complaints are nearly too minor. The only reason two of the songs are somewhat duds are truly for how the rest of the album keeps the listener's attention. I've heard very mixed reactions about Mic Check, it has one of Tom's Better solos, but the rest of the song sounds a little dull, and Maria's attempt to be spacey, couldn't keep up with their other songs. Otherwise, the solos are jaw dropping, it's hard to believe that on the back of the album it is stated that all sounds on the album are made by vocals, guitar, bass, and drums, sure many will dissent to the last couple seconds of Sleep Now In The Fire, but for the rest of the album, I beg to differ.
It's not perfect, but i'd be damned to say it's not close, and at it's very least, it's interesting; really, really interesting, and everyone will have a personal favorite on the record. It even manages to keep up with Sonic Youth's noise rock, without crazy alternate tunings. Many will think it's just noise or a little to tumultuous for their taste, either way I claim it to be best metal material in the past decade (I entirely realize there are Metallica fans out there). This only made their breakup more disappointing, along with the rest of the metal of this generation.
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