Say what you want about schlock like Marilyn Manson or the lousy Manson-wannabes like the guys in The Electric Hellfire Club. Those people don't worry me nearly as much as Atari Teenage Riot.
Very rarely do I run across an album that I consider truly "subversive." When I first heard punk in the late '70's, I saw that rebellion in the anti-establishment venom that spewed forth from bands like The Sex Pistols and The Clash. Later, U.S. bands like the Dead Kennedys and Black Flag also exhibited a certain attitude against the "norm." When you first heard those bands, especially back then, you knew there was something different and disturbing going on. That is the same feeling I got when I first heard ATR's Burn, Berlin, Burn!
ATR front man Alec Empire hates everything. I don't think he is really interested in selling records (although, with the buzz this release is getting, that may change). He wants to destroy everything around him. I don't think I've seen such intense hatred compressed into such a tight package. This is really frightening stuff.
If the album's title doesn't tip you off, check out these song titles: "Start The Riot!," "Sick To Death," "Deutschland (Has Gotta Die!)," "Destroy 2000 Years of Culture," "Delete Yourself! You Got No Chance to Win!" and others I can't print here.
From a Christian perspective, well, don't even think about it. Rock music has long been noted for thumbing its nose at society, and I don't mind some of that. I would even argue that the punk rock movement in the late '70's was healthy for music. But, ATR has little redeeming value other than to offer a glimpse into the minds of some young anarchists. The music is something like a mix of aggro, techno and industrial with lots of sirens, screams and shrieks thrown in for good measure. And then there are the lyrics. Most are concerned with burning things, destroying things and death. And the band's favorite word can't even be printed here.
A lot of people "in the know" are calling Atari Teenage Riot the wave of the future in rock music. I wouldn't be surprised. The problem is, the world Empire and his band offers has no future.
Similar sounding releases
1999Torn SkinMislead
1999HardknoxHardknox
2000Kid 606Down With the Scene
1994Argyle ParkMisguided
1995Nine Inch NailsFurther Down the Spiral
1998Jagged DoctrineI Wear the Mask
