Relationship of Command

From 1994-2000, At The Drive-In held the attention of music fans and critics alike. During their career, they released three albums and numerous EPs. You can hear their influence today on so many releases across the rock genre. Members have gone on to form The Mars Volta, Sparta, and various other projects. "Displaying an earnest intensity befitting pre-irony U2, At The Drive-In are an exhilarating and exhausting experience--the sight of five young men ever pushing against and beyond the limits of physical and emotional endurance with crusader zeal"--Rolling Stone.

Seemingly influenced in equal parts by hardcore punk, heavy rock, and modern industrial rap-metal, At the Drive-In provides music tailor-made for head-banging. Unlike such acts as Korn and Limp Bizkit, At the Drive-In isn't afraid to throw in the occasional semi-catchy melody, giving the uninitiated something on which to hang their hat. Other than that, however, there's little in the way of commercial concessions on RELATIONSHIP OF COMMAND. Rampaging guitar riffs, turbo-charged drumming, and super-emotive, lung-challenging vocals are the order of the day. The lyrics are often a bit elliptical, so its sometimes hard to tell exactly what the boys are going on about, but that can work to their advantage too, allowing the listeners to fill in the blanks. Slightly more refined than some of their contemporaries, but undeniably hard-hitting, At the Drive-In stands proudly at the center of circa-2000 heavy rock, and RELATIONSHIP OF COMMAND is their battle cry. In early 2005, look for the "Anthology" CD of greatest hits, exclusive unreleased tracks, rarities, covers, videos, interviews, and exclusive live footage.

It's rare that a band can provide a visceral thrill--Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit", Rage Against the Machine's "Killing in the Name"--and still work the gray matter as well. Here's a band that's refined the art. Hailing from El Paso, Texas, At the Drive-In come poised somewhere between the rabid showmanship of the Make-Up and the complexity of emo pioneers the Lapse, but through sheer adrenaline, they leave both bands choking on their exhaust fumes. Sure, they've got their unique selling point--lead singer Cedric Bixler and guitarist Omar Rodriguez both sport immense Afros--but this band isn't about gimmickry. Recorded after touring with Rage Against the Machine, Relationship of Command is the punk-rock real deal, the angular hardcore dynamic of "One Armed Scissor" and "Rolodex Propaganda" (the latter featuring Iggy Pop) as focused and affecting as any recent American rock. "And the paramedics fell into the wound like a rehired scab at a fair-headed plant, an anaesthetic penance beneath a hail of contraband! / Dancing on the corpses' ashes!" spits Bixler on the album's high-water mark, "Invalid Letter Dept." What does it all mean? Do you really need to ask? --Louis Pattison