The second Rage release shows a more toned-down side of the band (which is still extremely heavy). their message is the same, and Zack expresses his views on politics and the like with great force. the cd features "Down Rodeo", my favorite RATM song.

Rage's self-titled debut is by far their best to date, though probably for the wrong reason: "Killing in the Name." That song is great for instilling autonomy, but there were other tracks (i.e "Wake Up," "Bullet in the Head") with better messages.

That being said, Evil Empire is a great album. The first three tracks are fantasic, but don't overlook the rest of the album. Buy it for the music, keep it for the lyrics. I definitely recommend Evil Empire to all those closet libertarian socialists out there.

Yes, although it doesn't quite measure up to the debut (what does?), Tom and the Rage cats still lay down some killer grooves and angst-ridden riffs on this one.  A must for any Rage fan, but curious RATM newcomers will want to pick up the debut first so they'll know where it all began.

Rage went through some conflict in the making of this album, and it was delayed heavily, when it came out, it flew to the top of the charts, and was even nominated for a grammy. Their second album is a little more "produced" with less of that indie sound and alot more overdubbing. Tom strays from his usual F# blues box and tries out some neat new guitar tricks, which are always pleasing. The first twenty minutes of this album is where they really hit you hard, and the rest is relatively mild. Still, A great album by a great band.