i must say, the last ATR album, "Is This Hyperreal?", was a bit of a disappointment for me. so i expected to face a disappointment again with this one. but Alec Empire really delivered with this release. the haters might say, it sounds much different than ATR used to sound (think the first few albums). but i have to disagree. i think this album is how Alec always ATR envisioned to sound like. think a band that tries to combine punk with techno. and one that tries to combine a dark atmosphere with a "professional" (maybe wrong word) sound. and one that tries to combine thrilling music with a political and cultural message. this is what ATR was, should be, and how this album sounds like. this doesn't mean it's stuck in the old, there are plenty new ideas and concepts around here too. also interwoven are nice cultural and sonic references - the "Sonic Reducer" nod in Transducer, and i think i can hear a hint of an approach to Don Davis' scoreworks elsewhere, and more things than there is place here to mention.
i know the "hardcore fraction" will probably hate this album, but really, you are unfair here. ATR wasn't always "Into The Death" and "Start The Riot" repeated over and over again - distorted 909 and amens. remember tracks like Midijunkies, or the bonus release of early ATR tracks. ATR always had this techno meets punk, in an aggressive but also slighty "cheerful" (wrong word again, maybe) way. this is what the album sounds like to me, just in an updated version (and, again, with new ideas).
and it is something, that, to me, has really an impact, and brings a lot of fresh air. rarely i have been so thrilled by music lately, and i feel it is on an whole other level than most music in the moment.
and something that made it easily win my heart, is that it is something i wished to see for a few years now but never thought it would happen: a combination of modern guitar based music with techno/hardcore roots. it would be cool to see more music like this in the future.
so, if you are not a "die hard" you might like this album. if you enjoyed the original ATR works and like to see them in an updated context, you might like it too. and if you want to hear a kickass album, you'll love it.
ATR Webpage: http://www.atari-teenage-riot.com/
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