Rating: 77
 

                  Three and a half years after unleashing its first
                  in-your-face hybrid of heavy rock and hip-hop, Rage Against the
                  Machine returns with a sophomore effort that's as exciting as its
                  predecessor. Evil Empire is another roiling assembly of songs that
                  stomp across a desperate terrain of cultural repression, greed, and
                  fading hopes. That said, it's easier to lock step with frontman Zack
                  De La Rocha when he garrotes conservative talk shows ("Vietnow")
                  and military maneuvers ("Bulls on Parade") than when he champions
                  — however rightly — the cause of independence-seeking Zapatista
                  farmers in Mexico. But beyond the words is De La Rocha's delivery,
                  all spit and rabid rage. That, Tom Morello's style-defying guitar
                  attack, and a bottomless bag of sonic tricks ensure that Rage
                  remains an electrifying and subversive force. — Gary Graff