[usr 9.5 text=”true”]
REVIEW – The ATARI TEENAGE RIOT are back. I understand that everyone wants that old school ATR attack, but bands grow and try to keep it modern and fresh, so if you were a fan before why not be a fan now? Sure, the sound is a little more commercialized and polished, but at its core is still the anger and genre bending sounds that have always been the staples. I have to say that while I was not entirely on board for the last record, I really am a fan of this new record and can honestly say this is the best the band has sounded since Burn Berlin Burn. The opening track is going to really surprise people, it really showcases what I feel was always the vision of what this band was meant to be, this song sounds like that old school sound the fans have been complaining that they missed so much. The shock is that Nic Endo really has stepped up since Hanin left and she really showcases that she has more to offer than be a shadow of Hanin. The band combines rap, techno, metal riffs and so many odd dark atmospheric sounds that you really do not have a clue where the song is heading but seem ready for the ride. Reset to me is another track that I really feels captures what separates ATARI TEENAGE RIOT from every other band, they give you a message and deliver a sound that is so amazingly disturbing that you are not sure if the song is an upper or downer. As this album plays on, you really get a feel of what the past for this band and where the future is going. Alec Empire is such a genius and I am glad to see he decided to take the band’s past and mix it in a new modern age, and really give us a album that is not a bunch of songs, but a call to arms. This is easily the best album of last year and will more than likely be the best album of this year as well. ATARI TEENAGE RIOT have returned to take over the industry, and this record is flat out an amazing record from a very amazing band who deserve so much more respect than they get. I guess it is fitting to say the RIOT is back and fuck all else.