Atlas ShruggedMan, this was an awesome demo to get. Atlas Shrugged comes to us from Rockland County, NY and play an awesome style of experimental hardcore, and these guys were doing it back in 98'! Their list of influences is extremely diverse, including bands such as Absolution, Bad Brains, Beyond, Black Sabbath, Burn, Cro Mags, Die Kreuzen, Godflesh, Godspeed, Headfirst, Helmet, Hum, Icemen, Into Another, Iron Maiden, King Crimson, Prong, Quicksand, Rush, Slayer, Smashing Pumpkins, Supertouch, Threadbare, Turning Point, Voivod and 80s/90s NYHC. And the awesome thing is, you can hear a fair amount of those influences shine through in the song writing. I really do wish there were more bands of this style around today.
Probably the worst thing about the demo is that it only really only has two properly recorded studio tracks. However, there is a cover of Altercation's "Vigilante Song" as well as entire live set that was recorded at CBGB's on Mother's Day of 97, and it actually sounds pretty damn good.
The first track, "The Haze Control" which is about how we always allow our afflicted past to interfere with our current state of mind. The song itself is 6:09, and the band makes use of every second, after a sample of Al Pacino in Scarface they start going in and out of throbbing rhythms accented by plodding basslines and eerie sounding octaves and harmonics. The vocalist does a good job of just going with the song, alternating between screams/shouts and talking. The second song "Rainmaker", is a bit shorter but still eclipses the 4 minute mark. Like the first song, it opens with a sample, this time from Taxi Driver, and then the bassist busts out with a funky little line with the drummer as the vocalist wails over the instrumentation. Throughout the song, there are lots of tempo changes and in my opinion is really driven by the rhythm section, most notably the bass.
Another slight drawback about this demo is the recording, and though it isn't horrible it just leaves something to be desired. The bass tone is awesome and has a nice mix between low end and treble and has all the presence you could ask for (at times even a bit too much). The guitar tone isn't too bad but it's a bit on the thin side, as do the tone of the drums. The vocals are on point with the placement. Overall it isn't bad, it's just a demo, and a demo that was recorded in 98' nonetheless.
The demo comes in a plastic sleeve with a thick, white stock paper with a black silhouetted image of Robert DeNiro from "Taxi Driver". Very good idea for a layout considering that the demo is titled "Vigilante Songs" and "Taxi Driver" was about a vigilante taxi driver. Luckily, there is a lyric sheet that comes neatly folded, with all the proper credits and what not displayed.
Rating: 3.8/5
Songs Worthy of Replay: The Haze Control and Rainmaker
Synopsis: This is a band that was a head of it's time. These guys set out to make fresh new hardcore music, something that seems to be lost these days. I definitely recommend to anyone that enjoys the band's mentioned earlier to check this out. Hit up the band's page to check out some of these awesome tunes, and pick it up from the label.