Atari Teenage Riot 1992-2000

Album Review

If you're one of the many who can't tell one Atari Teenage Riot album from the other but still crave their fierce, digital hardcore radicalism, this one's for you. Atari Teenage Riot: 1992-2000 takes the band's discography and pares it down to the necessary tracks, making this their ultimate weapon. Punk rock and power electronics blend and juiced-up drum machines pound as Alec Empire and crew shout and rally for "Revolution Action." If you aren't familiar with ATR, their targets and politics aren't fleshed out ("nazis" and "fascists" must die and all that) and their music makes Sigue Sigue Sputnik sound versatile. Still you can't beat them for extreme, primal protest chants, and their uncompromising stance is something unmatched to this day. Heck, a major label released some of this extreme noise terror and you've got to respect the subversiveness of that. Other than Empire's liner notes and the portability of the set, there isn't a good reason to recommend this rarity-free comp to longtime fans. Most everyone else will probably find this is as exhaustive as it is exhausting, making it the only ATR disc they'll ever need.