Evil Empire (album)
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| Evil Empire | |||||
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| Studio album by Rage Against the Machine | |||||
| Released | April 16, 1996 | ||||
| Recorded | July, 1995 – February, 1996 | ||||
| Genre | Rapcore Alternative Metal Funk Metal |
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| Length | 46:57 | ||||
| Label | Epic | ||||
| Producer | Rage Against the Machine | ||||
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| Rage Against the Machine chronology | |||||
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Evil Empire is the second album by Rage Against the Machine. It was released on April 16, 1996, almost four years after the band's first, self-titled album named Rage Against the Machine
The album's title is taken from the phrase evil empire, which was used by former U.S. President Ronald Reagan and many Western conservatives in describing the former Soviet Union.
The overall sound of the album differed from the group's other three albums: their previous self-titled debut, The Battle of Los Angeles and Renegades three years later. Stylewise, the album continues to blur the line between rap and rock, but unlike the prior (and subsequent) albums' large and looming heavy metal riffs dominating, the album more involves the rhythms and Zack de la Rocha's rap-style vocals. The unusual time signature that concludes the end of "Year Of Tha Boomerang" is a prime example, though the style can be easily seen on (roughly) 8 of the 11 tracks. To some this proved to be a more popular style, to others it was less favorable. The track "Bulls on Parade" became the first single and, as with their debut, five singles were released in total.
Interestingly, Tom Morello once remarked in an interview that recording and writing sessions for Evil Empire were extremely difficult, as conflict ensued within the band over musical direction. Rage Against The Machine nearly broke up at this time, but decided to continue on after the completion of the album.
Evil Empire debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200. The song "Tire Me" won the 1996 Grammy award for Best Metal Performance. The tracks "Bulls on Parade" and "People of the Sun" were both nominated for Grammy's for Best Hard Rock Performance in separate years.
Contents |
[edit] Track listing
- "People of the Sun" – 2:30
- "Bulls on Parade" – 3:51
- "Vietnow" – 4:39
- "Revolver" – 5:30
- "Snakecharmer" – 3:55
- "Tire Me" – 3:00
- "Down Rodeo" – 5:20
- "Without a Face" – 3:36
- "Wind Below" – 5:50
- "Roll Right" – 4:22
- "Year of tha Boomerang" – 3:59
Bulls On Parade is featured as a playable track in the popular video game Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
[edit] Singles
- Bulls on Parade - 1996
- People of the Sun - 1996
- Tire Me - 1996
- Down Rodeo - 1997
- Vietnow - 1997
[edit] Credits
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[edit] Chart positions
[edit] Album
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | The Billboard 200 | #1 |
| 1996 | UK Album Chart | #4 |
[edit] Singles
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | "Bulls on Parade" | Modern Rock Tracks | #11 |
| 1996 | "Bulls on Parade" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | #36 |
| 1996 | "Bulls on Parade" | UK Singles Chart | #8 |
| 1996 | "People of the Sun" | UK Singles Chart | #26 |
[edit] Awards
- 1996 Grammy Award - Best Metal Performance for "Tire Me"
| Preceded by Anthology 2 by The Beatles |
Billboard 200 number-one album May 4 - May 10, 1996 |
Succeeded by Fairweather Johnson by Hootie & the Blowfish |
[edit] External links
- Official Website
- Axis of Justice Tom Morello and Serj Tankian's Activist Website "Axis Of Justice"
- Vietnow.org Rage Against The Machine news resource and forum
- Evil Empire (album) at Allmusic
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