Atari Teenage Riot – Is This Hyperreal? album review

Music has always played a major part in the arena of rebellion, protest and government opposition and in our modern society where music can reach more ears than a multi-million-dollar advertising campaign, its roll has become even larger.  Since their inception, bands such as Rage Against the Machine and Sonic Youth have been using the high-energy and youthful angst present in the hardcore and punk genres to ignite a unified opposition to the government and when Neo-Nazi influence grew throughout Berlin’s tecnno scene, Atari Teenage Riot took a similar approach in hopes of driving the social phenomenon towards a slightly less corrupt future.

Formed in 1992, the band released three full-lengths in ‘95, ’97 and ’99 and save two more recent compilations, the band has – until now – remained dormant, failing to put out anything until 2011 long-play, Is This Hyperreal?.  A definitive ‘protest album,’ this title features a seemingly straightforward compilation of digital music beds combined with distorted vocals sounding as though they’re being shouted over a crowd of demonstrators by way of a megaphone:  Sharing equal presence on the album, Nic Endo and Alec Empire both be heard shouting what are surely intended as shocking messages and calls to action.

Songs such as “Rearrange Your Synapses” and “Black Flags” assert battleground cries relating to topics along the lines of overt government control and society’s catatonic response to widespread corruption.  Breaking the monotony of this genre, several songs stand out as foils to the bulk of the album, most notably, “Shadow Identity” and title track, “Is This Hyperreal?”.

Surely, this is not an album for easy listening, but if you’re preparing to chain yourself to a bulldozer or show solidarity with WikiLeaks by hacking the Pentagon, this will certainly elevate both your heart rate and your desire to actively participate in a riot.  Those activities don’t necessarily align with my day-to-day routine, so I’ll be honest in saying that this isn’t an album I’ll be listening to very much, however, for what this band – this record – was intended to be, ATR has done a fantastic job in achieving their goal.