Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine
Epic Video
"Well, here we go," I thought as I settled in for an evening of visual entertainment and beratement from RATM's video. Seventy minutes of live concert footage and video clips (and it's uncensored... oooohhh. It has a Parental Advisory sticker... booooo).
Epic Video did a good thing here by concentrating on Rage's music. No dialogue at all, just vein-popping wails and a good mix of video footage and grainy 8mm. What is recorded is pretty much what went down at the show -- no visual effects or propaganda, no re-mixing of the audio. If you are going to capture the essence of a live performance, this is the next best thing to being there. Although, attending a concert, you won't get that close to Zack de la Rocha's face, which is probably a good thing.
There is a good selection of songs from RATM's debut album and Evil Empire, taken from shows in California and mega-crowded Europaloozas. I admit, seeing 100,000 people thrashing to "Know Your Enemy" from a stage camera is pretty awesome.
The remainder of the video is just that -- six (uncensored) videos MTV-style. Now is when they hit you with their "messages" of oppression, government, censorship, etc. As an added bonus, you receive a CD single of "The Ghost of Tom Joad." I don't really care much for the song, but it made for a nice packaging!
If you dig Rage, get this for the live footage. It's raw, high energy, bombtrack'in, f**k you I won't do what you tell me, family fun!
--Phillip Haire
