By now it has been well established that this whole rap-metal genre is nothing particularly special. Limp Bizkit, Papa Roach, P.O.D. -- with bands like this on the radio, I don’t blame all those pretentious music connoisseurs, who are waiting to pounce on the “next Nirvana.” Well, according to all those snotty British magazines, At The Drive-In is just that: the band that will totally turn the whole world of rock music upside down. And for once, those silly lobster-backs may be on to something. This El Paso, Texas, quintet, simply put, is fucking amazing.

On their major-label debut, At The Drive-In live up to all the hype that has been hovering over their afro-donning heads since their opening spot for Rage Against The Machine last spring. Accompanied by the tastefully slick production of Ross Robinson (Slipknot, Korn), these kids come off like an overtly explosive, incredibly melodic answer to the vast wasteland that is mainstream rock.Whether thrashing through the intense “Arc Arsenal” or completely reinventing the rules of pop-punk in “Pattern Against User,” these kids manage to completely destroy every preconception of what modern-rock radio should be.

They have the anger of Korn, the aptitude of Rage, and the pop sensibility of Weezer. And goddamn do they have musical ability! Case in point: album closer “Non-Zero Possibility.” After listening to forty minutes of unbridled anger and frustration, At The Drive-In hit you hard with an undeniably brilliant and heartbreaking slow song, truly establishing themselves as a musical force to be reckoned with. Give them a few years and At The Drive-In could easily become the most important band in rock.
At The Drive-In

Relationship of Command

(Grand Royal)

reviewed by Mookie Singerman