Atomizer

Atomizer is one of those albums where I can understand the appeal without actually enjoying the listening experience. Big Black’s abrasive, mechanical sound, distorted guitars, pounding rhythms, and deliberately harsh atmosphere are clearly intentional, but unfortunately, this particular style of music just isn’t for me. I found the whole thing pretty unpleasant to listen to, and rather than growing on me with repeated listens, the aggressive and industrial feel mostly pushed me further away. There’s a certain rawness and intensity here that fans of noise rock and post-hardcore will probably appreciate, but I personally found it more exhausting than engaging. I can recognize that Atomizer has a distinctive sound and that Big Black were doing something quite different for their time. There’s definitely an uncompromising quality to it. But ultimately, this is a case where I can appreciate what the band was going for while still having absolutely no desire to listen to it again. Not for me at all.

Loved it. 4.8/5.

It was OK. A bit angry

More pants

The start of this album is comically bad but I actually got into it after a while. Kerosene is a good song

I'd never gotten around to knowingly listening to Big Black. This was great and, as has been said many times before, a precursor to industrial music of the late-80s and beyond. It holds up to the test of time.

This was good and unique, but not always interesting. 3.0/5.0: Good

i enjoyed it but it didnt meet expectations since the comments made me think it would be way more abrasive than it was.

Мне очень нравится что звук этого альбома грамотно использует характерные для 80-ых музыкальные фишки и они только добавляют альбому характера, и не кажутся уже пережитком эпохи Здесь музыкальная ярость сочитается с интересными мелодиями, жизнь так и бьёт ключом, резкая, грубая, но очень драйвовая

Horrible noise

I did not like the industrial, harsh sound to this one. Lots of noise, no discernible melodies. Really not my thing but not offensive to the ear in the way that some things are, so have to give it the extra star on that basis

Another band I never heard but probably would have liked more in my 20s.

1986 industrial punk, Steve Albini sings Jordan, MN Kerosene

Im surprised by how much this actually intrigued me in a way. It was very raw and aggressive at times. There were some songs I actually liked because of how noisy it was without being too much. Overall, its not something I would usually go for, but this was definitely something.

It was industrial metal, which is fine, but it’s hard for me to distinguish the good from the bad.

Alguien que me explique porque este es un álbum que debo escuchar antes de morir

Atomizer is an album that's certainly on the weirder side of things and like Pelican West, a weird one to get for a milestone album (that being 900 albums). This album feels pretty reminiscent of stuff like Sonic Youth by having the same noisy indie rock sound that their music also has. The main thing holding this album back is the guitars, they sound incredibly tinny and get pretty grating in most of the songs. However, i still see a vision with this album. I kinda like the Sonic Youth vibe that it has going on and it also had some interesting ideas when it came to the songs. It wasn't the most well executed album but i can appreciate it for what it was trying to do. Best Song: Strange Things Worst Song: Cables (Live)

I heard the guitar on the first track and thought "This sounds decent" and then the vocals kicked in and I was immediately proven wrong. This assessment did not change throughout the album.

Mid 80s noise rock. Fast and aggressive. Heavy guitars. industrial and angry. Music to smash shit to.

Punk intr min stil

At first I hated it, then I liked it. The sounds are harsh and relentless, but what’s done with them is actually pretty creative and I’m here for it

A solid 1. Ahead of its time, still.

a bit too much white boy edgelord-ism for my taste, and i probably won't listen again unless i'm in an exceptionally bad mood and want to make it worse, but i don't hate it. thematically deeply unpleasant to sit with, sonically "unpleasant" to some but the sound is the part i really like. definitely deserves its place on this list for cultural relevance and for being very much what it is

Definitely unique and kerosene is a great song, but overall a bit too much

If i wasnt doing manual labour I probably wouldnt have enjoyed this. But I was, and I did.

Overall: 7/10 This album is kind of wild, and I could see how it might have been a big influence on industrial music. It can be pretty heavy and abrasive at times, but there's enough melody to keep it accessible and enjoyable. Fav Song: Passing Complexion

angry/catchy/big/black

How to make this album: Spam bass drum Write nonsense, disturbing lyrics Stuff some random irritating noise in there Oh yeah, and shove the distortion up that high that the listener's earbud turns to a crisp

Really different, jarring in a good way, and loads of obvious talent on display, but not something I am likely to return to a lot.

[screeching metallic noises]

They created a really good sound here. Industrial but not in a cliched way, nihilistic, despairing. I've had this album for years. I never seem to be in the mood to listen to it, but it was worthwhile revisiting. Falls off a little bit in parts of side 2. Favourite track: Kerosene

This is close to something I could dig on but it's just too aggressive and causes me anxiety. there is something very cool under the surface here though. i'd like to hear that

I could never really get into these guys but they’ve inspired so much music that I love.

You need edgelord shit on your life sometimes. Set me on fire, kerosene.

Finally! Now this - this is an album that makes me feel something: discomfort, fury, anger, curiosity, amazement, a craving for more, the urge to dance, to play it over and over - it makes me feel alive and full of energy! I don’t buy into the stats this project throws at me - sorry, there’s something very punk and basic about me! The ’70s come up as my favorite decade and world music as my favorite genre, but I think that’s just bullshit they’re feeding me - most of the punk albums that’ve come out here got a 5 from me! And this is yet another one to get a perfect 5 out of 5 and go straight into my heavy rotation, as a special favorite <3 I loved every second of it ;-) Thanks, album generator - you really made my day this time :-D

Was a college DJ in 1986 and sadly never heard of this before now. Had a chance to give it a proper listen today and actually and oddly enjoyable . This album pounds and does so in an aggressive yet melodic way. Far exceeded my expectations. Not perfect by any measure but worthy of better marks than it's receiving.

This album fucking rocks. Hype energy. A bit "same-y" Kersosene feels like the origin story for pop punk songs "IN MYY ToWN" trope. The sound is unpolished and noisy. I can picture a mom in the 80s saying "turn off that horrible noise" but there is a lot more depth here- Big Black shows us that when all the noise melts away there are solid musical chops underneath. The noise is a very intentional choice. With all that praise, this is a bit too intense for me except in a rare mood.

TL;DR: Lyrically and sonically brutal. Great if you're into that kind of thing. BEFORE: Is this my reward for slogging through Manassas? AFTER: This is great. Brutal punk / noise with dark lyrics and programmed drums that sometimes veer into industrial territory. If you like this kind of stuff, it's absolutely top tier. If you're not, it's a challenging listen and you have my sympathy. I'm a big fan of Chat Pile, and there are some definitely similarities in the lyrical subject matter, use of repetition with the vocals and dissonant, spidery guitar lines. There are still grooves and catchy moments in here under all the noise, which makes these songs memorable in a way some noise-rock can fail to achieve HIGHLIGHTS: Jordan, Minnesota is an absolutely harrowing way to start an album. Kerosene is fantastic and keeps finding extra gears. Fists of Love is propulsive and dissonant, reminiscent of early Ministry. Strange Things is almost upbeat. The guitars in Cables sound like a sheet metal fabricator tearing itself to pieces (that's a compliment). LOWLIGHTS: None. VERDICT: 5 stars. Heavy as fuck but beautiful as well. A musical kick in the balls. RIP Steve Albini - you were a real one.

It's an industrial kind of week, apparently. Another very interesting one.

idek, really hated at first, sounds like noise pollution but i get it

Now I see why some of my favorite artists wanted to make great albums with Steve Albini. This album is such in my wheelhouse I can’t believe I’ve never listened to it before. I will be returning.

Such an intense sound this band created and really there has been another band quite like them since. Albini really was just one of the best producers and one the coolest musicians. And the sort of punk I’d want to be. And he just loved ice cream. 5.0/5.0 Best Song: Kerosene

I've not listened to that much Big Black, but this was sick, its so moody and heavy and fun, can't believe it is 86, that is crazy to me

Damn so close to perfect. This shit rules. Im not a big post punk guy because alot of it strays so far away from its namesake. But this keeps it close enough to the good old days. There are plenty of overtly punky elements. The vocals and the structure of alot of the songs are just that. I do get into the drum machine here. Not ever against it or really for it normally but here it is loud and in charge. Sound so cool. The bass too is cranked to high heaven. Give everything a really rhythmic slant. Dancey even. The first half or so of this record is incredible. Track after track its perfect. I do loose it a bit in the 2nd half but not that much. It just looses a bit of steam and energy. But overall killer. I loved this alot. And l should check out some more.

Right now, in this moment, I think it’s solid. I’m sure I will grow to love it in the coming weeks.

I have very confusing feelings about this album. I love it and I hate it at the same time? I liked the music better than the voice, but also at times this was swapped??? I have no idea how to rate this. Is there a 3.25 option???

Too loud, frenetic and dark for me. Also, I really loathed early drum machines. I'm afraid this music could obliterate the few functioning brain cells I have left. No offense to those who love this. It's powerful stuff.

Production of atoms.

Was vergeten hoe goed deze plaat is

Not too often an album makes me raise my eyebrows and mutter "whoa" under my breath. I'm obsessed. PS: 10-tracks. No more. No less. 37 minutes. Objectively perfect.

Firstly, phenomenal album cover. Secondly, the album itself exceeded expectations. You can hear the influence of this sound/general attitude in a lot of great bands from the 80s/90s. It’s kinda the anti-In Utero (where shit bands to come were inspired by the worst bits and the world was worse for it).

Yea na metal from the 80s

This album is interesting. The drum machine, metallic guitar tone, and Steve Albini’s half-shouted vocals make the whole thing sound cold and hostile, like it was recorded in an abandoned factory. It’s abrasive, but there’s something hypnotic about it once you settle into the noise. You can hear the groundwork for Nine Inch Nails, Ministry, and a lot of the industrial rock that followed. Hearing this also explains why Nirvana sounded so different on In Utero. Albini’s production has that raw, punishing quality where nothing feels cleaned. Favorite song: “Big Money”

I quite enjoyed this one. I like the use of noise. Also the bass tone was cooking. I've seen their green album before, so neat to listen to something by these guys for the first time

Hell Yeah! Big Black was the best American punk band, bar none. The only thing better than Atomizer is their follow up, Songs About Fucking.

I have never listened to Big Black and only know them from my friend who is a fan. This one was good ... not what I expected.

I like this one I need more industrial punk Will I listen to again: 92%

I put the miser in Atomizer.

Had to turn the volume down because this was an intense listening experience. In the beginning it was mostly noisy and unpleasant, after a while I got more used to it. The most interesting fact about the album is that the frontman is Steve Albini which has produced many famous records/bands. And after recognizing that, I could definetly hear sounds used by Nirvana, Pixies etc. Favourites: Kerosene

fah

Ei

Звучит интересно, но слишком нишево для меня. 3.5, но округлю в большую сторону за то, что они так звучали в 80-х и за то, что вокалист вроде как потом спродюсировал кучу хороших групп

Вынос мозга вообще. Крутая драм-машина, охеренный звук. Спасибо человеку за то, что сделал звук 90х таким, каким он по итогу был. Гений.

Весьма интересная музыка, особенно для середины 80-х. Неожиданно интересный пик

звучит даже интересно, не факт, что буду возвращаться, но потраченного времени не жаль - 3.5

2.3. The first album that I didn’t really like or think had much redeeming qualities. I guess I can appreciate it in a sense. Being 1986 it paved the way for the future. But I would have no problem not ever hearing it again. I’ve been doing a terrible, bad, fine, good, great to help with my 1-5. Despite me not thinking this is necessarily bad it will be my first 2 star. After reading about them I can definitely appreciate the path they paved and understand why it’s on this list. But as an album, and I try to look at the albums as singular pieces of art and to my best to not let the catalogue, or the meaning, or the message, history and/or groundbreaking nature, but simply the art.

I like this abrasive shit. Revolutionary in its time, this is a standout.

don't really know what i thought, clearly groundbreaking but didn't have the best listening experience

3/5

Чувак бы получше качество звукозаписи, и тогда из этого могло получиться что-нибудь путёвое. Местами даже Le Tigre напоминает.

j'ai deteste de la premiere a la derniere minute

Steve Albini sure was commited to that noisey industrial grungy aesthetic.

Interesting album, very Rage Against the Machine in the mid 80s

????

yes.

Nope. Absolutely not. I gave it two good tries. I understand the importance of punk and instrumentally there’s plenty of impressive stuff but it’s such harsh bad noise and I do not like this one bit.

Loved the emotion in this one. Thought it was funny that they used a Roland drum machine as the backing for everything else. Not sure if I’m a fan of the lyrics mainly because I couldn’t hear what they were saying.

Like that ride album but with all the emotion I was missing. It’s weird cuz i feel like the music isn’t good but the emotional drive of it hits me weird and relatably. Kerosene is so Midwest. Love. ANGSTY

I did like this one. Steve Albini is a racist pos though and the first song is about raping a child so that’s kind of weird

Nails-on-a-chalkboard terrible.

I thought there was something wrong with my headphones at first. I have no idea what this is that I have listened to for 37 minutes and 43 seconds.. it sounds like produced, industrial, punk... which are words I never thought I would put together... I imagined if NIN had a kid with the Sex Pistols so the child is rebellious and wants to write songs about setting himself on fire to protest the powers that be while also experimenting with different soundscapes and electronics in the process. The drum machine contributes to the their unique sound, which are also words I never thought I would write before. Maybe this is a musical genre that already exists and I am just discovering it now? idk, but these are my impressions I think there are some nice musical ideas and sounds in there, but they get washed out in the muffled, noisy mess of a sound they were going for and in the end just sounds like background music to a grown man screaming and complaining. I was happy when it was over, the last track "Cables (live)" was hard to get through.

Holy cow I've always had a distinct fondness for punk music. I don't know too much about the different sub-genres of punk to correctly distinguish them from each other, though. All I know is that this sub-genre of punk is not my favourite. This is what I'd describe as hardcore noise. I appreciate the anger, though. 1.7

Threw up.

21/07/2026 I did not know what to expect. The album seemed very disjointed and all over the shop. Not the worst thing I've heard here though... Spotify listeners: 43.2k

Bit too close to screamo for me but I enjoyed Fists of Love

Steve Albini was in his self-confessed edgelord phase at this point, so it's hard not to cringe at some of the lyrics and subject matter here (although I guess provocation was The Point). Still, there's something intoxicating about this album: ugly, industrial, angst is sometimes good for the soul. Robert Christgau (who didn't like the album that much) hit the nail on the head: "This is the brutal guitar machine thousands of lonely adolescent cowards have heard in their heads." Where he and I differ is that I believe that is a good thing: this is Important representation, and a huge win for off-putting, pretentious, mentally ill, weird guys.

nope. lots of yelling at me, no fun.

What an aggressive, unique, relentless, energetic album. The first four tracks were all incredible. Passing Complexion is a glitchy masterpiece and my favorite here. This lived up to the whale expectations I had going into it even if it lost a touch of steam in the back half.

eh

RIP Steve Albini. Also, Evanston represent!

This album grew on me. Bazooka Joe was very catchy and got my blood moving. It is hard to believe this came out in the mid-1980s.

Pleasantly surprised by this? If you can say that about an album that is unpleasant as possible, ha. 4/5

Some good ideas, not as good as the Wipers.

Ugh. Not for me 3/10

Just not having a good time with this one. Quite abrasive. I think the Wikipedia summary sums it up quite nicely. Definitely a "godawful racket" and "brutal guitar machine". 2/5

Fine

Es la banda original de Steve Albini, el productor de algunos de mis discos favoritos. La verdad es que el disco en su momento no sé como sería de innovador, pero esa mezcla de punk y cajas de ritmo sigue siendo impactante. Me he guardado: "Jordan, Minnesota" y "Kerosene".

Barulheira, efeitos estourados. Mas foi divertido. Vibe Tony Hawk também.

Noise rock and industrial punk built from abrasive guitars, mechanical drum machines, and confrontational vocals feels like standing beside a construction site where someone insists on dropping sheets of metal for half an hour straight—relentless, aggressive, and for me an exhausting headache-inducing sonic assault.

Technical virtuosity not enough to make up for the cacophony of this “noise rock”. I kind of liked the song Kerosene.

The molecules of my brain got atomized listening to this

I don't love punk music.

Kerosene was the standout to me, and many others it seems. Very cool, hard almost like a electro-punk sound at times, I am glad to have heard, and will be coming back to a couple songs at the least.

Glad I made the decision not to make Fallon listen to this one in the carpool today lol. This ruled though. I can definitely see how it would be seen as the precursor to industrial rock and I feel like that context really makes me appreciate the weirdness that much more.

Didn't know to feel about this. A lot of songs blended together. I really liked Kerosene but didn't feel like much else stood out

Very listenable given the genre.

Nog nooit van gehoord, maar goed...

Hey Guys! I'm working on something new called Microsoft Paint that will revolutionize boredom at work until 1998. Do you want to use it for your album cover? But really, a mid-80s punk album with a shitty cover that has a cumulative rating of 2.7 sounds like it's right up my alley. Have never heard of this but I'm excited to give it a go. Ok so I can definitely see that this is a love it or hate it album. I know most people don't care for this kind of thing. I suppose you would call this kind of a mix between punk, post punk, industrial, and noise rock? I mean each of those individually is a tough sale for most people, put them all together and it's no wonder these guys only have 43,000 listeners on Spotify. I dig it though. It may not be something I would want to listen to all the time but sometimes this is just what I need. Though I confess that I didn't pay attention to the lyrics at all. I liked this album and I'm 80% in the love it camp I guess and would definitely seek out other stuff from them. 4/5

I was initially quite interested by "Jordan, Minnesota", possibly because it was such a stark change compared to my last album which was Van Morrison's Moondance. The crackly distorted vocals were also fun at first, then with all the stop-start instrumental and the faux-sex breathing noises just made it deeply uncomfortable; wanted it to end as soon as possible. "Passing Complexion" put me in a similar place, with something interesting, though repetitive, then it was just ruined by the 'singer' opening his damn mouth. Guy isn't even attempting to sing; it's quite low effort for experimentation. It happened again on "Big Money". I actually kind of liked this one for the instrumentation though. I think I enjoyed "Kerosene"? Vocalist did sound much without the gross distortions shouting and the repeating guitar riff was just at a low enough pitch to help scratch the bass itch almost. "Bad Houses" was ok for similar reasons as stated for Kerosene and, for some reason that's hard to place, I loved the guitars on "Fists of Love". "Stinking Drunk" went from consistently abrasive to inconsistently abrasive by it's second half, which irritated more than interested me; think this has more to do with it being one of those tracks that felt almost there for me. "Bazooka Joe" was... wow... really boring by comparison to the rest of the album, feeling a little out of place without any screeching guitars ripping through it at any point. Strange Things sits in a similar place. Leading with these tracks may have been a better choice, sonically? The less that is said about "Cables" the better. This just sounded straight awful, with the metallic clang of the guitar just kicking out into fuzzy sludge. Interesting - would love to know how you make a guitar sound like this live - but still awful. Overall, incredibly interesting to listen to; I am always a fan of experimentation. I am glad I experienced it, but probably won't be listening again. As something to listen to before you die, it definitely belongs on this list.

(3/7) too noisy

4/10… no wave / industrial rock / *1986

Yeah, this definitely sounds like something Steve Albini would create. Great riffs and super edgy lyrics. Nice and noisy.

Dope

Metal punk sounds that didn’t let up. Lovers of epic noise will find it energizing.

Love love love Steve Albini’s sound always but I am more of a Shellac guy

i think this one is just way better than songs about fucking these days... back in the day i did not agree

Punk and weird heavy breathing kicks us off with Jordan, Minnesota. Kerosene is pretty good, a bit nihilist. Album is pretty unpolished but I like the sound. This album is worthy of a deeper dive, reading through the wiki front man Albini was very influential in the post punk scene, working with bands like the Pixies and Nirvana.

There's a lot to be said about Albini but, cutting through all that noise, this is just a great record. It perfectly scratches an itch for dissonant industrial punk rock. I also totally understand why anyone would hate this music, which only adds to its appeal for me. RIP legend.

Abrasive?- yes Music to sleep to? - no Worth a listen? - yes Will I listen again? Probably not

the moaning in the first track really pissed me off so it lowered my opinion of the album as a whole. but a punk rock album is not made to make you feel comfortable, its made to shake things up-- and i believe that this album accomplished that. would i listen again? maybe not. but it was not an unenjoyable listen, just a bit of an abrasive one.

This record proves two things- 1. Steve Albini could never outrun the massive weight of his own ego. 2. You can’t make good rock with a drum machine.

Intentionally abrasive and offensive. I don't need to listen to that ever again.

4/5

2.5

Ontem não foi um bom dia pra esse disco

Maso

Not really a fan of the tinny drum machine on majority of the more punky songs - but on Passing Complexion which has a higher tempo it works as feels much closer to an industrial dance track. Don't really like the vocals - but some of the tracks (like Passing Complexion) are growing on me.

Atomizer Sonically this feels more interesting than many of their US punk peers, you can hear the hand of Steve Albini all over it. I really like the tinny drum machine paired with the scuzzy dirty bass sound, and there are some great little moments here and there like the repeating motif in Passing Complexion, the riff/intro to Kerosene and the guitar twang of Bazooka Joe But song-wise it’s far less interesting, with only Passing Complexion, Kerosene and Bad Houses really standing out. Again like so much punk/metal/industrial when heaviness and difficult-ness become the overriding ethos it just feels like it hits a bit of a dead end quite quickly An interesting album to hear once or twice but ultimately there’s not much that would make me think about revisiting, so a 2. ⚛️⚛️ Playlist submission: Kerosene

There's an insistent hammering out of hooks over and over, and a lot work well, like 'Passing Complexion'. 'Bad Houses' even sounds like a Depeche Mode/Siouxse melody lurking underneath. 'Fists of Love' and 'Bazooka Joe' have Buzzcocks type guitar lines, and 'Cables' a great bassline (eventually) - and this is obviously more sophisticated than bland thrash rock (I'm looking at you Napalm Death). I initially thought this was a 90s or even 2000's band which is testament to the production (or remastering). Albini went on to produce some of the great alternative bands; he knows his onions alright, and he treads the line well between challenging industrial sounds and something that's listenable. As an album of this genre, three is high praise indeed.

Before the fame and attention that would come later from his engineering work Steve Albini's rep was mainly through being the mouthpiece for Big Black, but it's his guitar that pulls you in. Steve could've sang about so many other things but he chose to shock and to push boundaries. He was young and smart and disappointed in people — the subject matter was meant to be a slap in the face as hard as the music. It's not an excuse, but it seems like he grew out of a lot of the more regressive attitudes that the lyrics always seemed to hint at after many lessons learned later in life. Anyway, it's Atomizer by Big Black and I love it despite its juvenile flaws. Let's Go.

Steve Albini was one of the most influential voices in music in the last 40 years, mainly as a self described audio-engineer for bands like Nirvana and Pixies, but also as an acerbic commentator and reviewer. He earned his musical stripes with Big Black though - a punk band that combined huge clanking guitars with smart use of a drum machine and some of the bleakest lyrics that you will ever hear. The opening track Jordan, Minnesota tackles child sexual abuse in a small town in the bluntest possible way and from there the rest of the album continues at a similar level of ferocious anger at the injustices inherent in American society. Racism, drugs, alcohol and being so bored in a dead end town that you want to set yourself on fire make this an uncomfortable listen but an essential one. For the record, Albini did say that he regretted some of his more confrontational and controversial statements that he made in his earlier days, and people like Kim Deal of the Pixies respected him as a thoughtful and considerate human being. He passed away from a heart attack in 2024, aged 61.

This was a fun, energetic album. I enjoyed.

J'avoue j'ai pas pu vrm me concentrer sur l'album avec la canicule desoleee

Abrasive blend of punk and industrial textures. Enjoyed the music far more than the vocals and lyrics (that I could make out!)

no thanks ❤️

Забавно, що звук на альбомі в деяких піснях мені не сильно подобається) Хороший альбом. Дійсно класні пісні, драммашина лупашить, тексти на межі фолу.

Не можу сказати що я колись був у захваті від музики Стіва Альбіні, але в мене стійке враження що саме цей альбом біг блек я взагалі ніколи не слухав. І дарма! Мені сподобалось - кріпова атмосфера, контроверсійні тексти, драммашина, нойзові гітари. Гарно.

IDK just nails on a chalkboard punk 1.5

3.5

Well it was as abrasive as I thought it would be but it also intrigued me a little bit I can kind of hear almost a proto-NIN, as well as some other 90s alt ideas that really wouldn't take place for a few years. Been along with most Punk albums of the time I did find it not really a cohesive set of songs but there was some stuff to chew on. Not really my cup of tea, but I do know some people that if they're not familiar with this band, I'd suggest it. (7.15) ★★★½

A few cool songs, but quite abrasive and uneven. 3 stars

I like the first half of this album pretty well -- "Passing Complexion" and "Kerosene" are both pretty great, but it kind of sags after "Kerosene", I like Albini way better as a producer than a songwriter in general. 3 stars.

3.5

It's punk and rough, but maybe too rough

manic, diabolical, grotesque. pretty cool!

Clumsy outraged outrage lyrics but still fantastic. A shame Songs About Fucking isn't here too and maybe a Shellac album or two.

Harder and rougher than I would like, but I can hear a few food bands in this album. The Pixies, early Modest Mouse. Just a lot of anger.

Intentionally grating music isn't typically my thing. But there's something about this, and I venture to say that it's Steve Albini, that transcends the Lo-fi noise rock threshhold and delivers memorable hooks and melodicism that makes the harshness more palatable. A prototype for Nirvana’s In Utero, without the songwriting talents of Cobain to elevate it. An interesting listen but not my thing

Maybe it’s just me but I didn’t think it was necessary to have the guy shaking a tin can full of quarters on Every song.

That was a lot of fun

My socks were literally rocked off

Very seriously my all-time favorite album cover. I've thought about it a lot and "^Earth <Atomizer Let's Go." always comes out on top. I remember seeing the follow-up Big Black album "Songs About Fucking" at my brother's house and immediately knowing that I needed to listen to every Big Black song, which was an easy task because there are not that many of them. Atomizer is a perfect peel of their sound. Incredibly abrasive but just melodic enough that it doesn't get into Napalm Death territory. Albini was clear-minded about what he wanted out of his musical projects & Atomizer is it. It's loud, it moves fast, and it's nasty. I've always adored the song Passion Complexion in part because it moves so fast, so fast that it begins to hit this shimmering sound like you've launched a piece of tin at supersonic speeds. Most of the album is crunchy and metallic, totally shreds the eardrums but with chord progressions that actually sound like something & vocals that can actually pitch and communicate rather than the primordial groans of black metal. It's much closer to Frank Black, loathe as Albini probably would be to hear that, than even someone like Michael Gira or JG Thirlwell. Industrial music is definitely my preference for heavier music, compared to metal, but Atomizer in particular is my perfect idea of it.

It was ok

This is the first album on this journey that’s made me ask the existential question: what constitutes music? There are elements of a great album here: deep lyrical concepts, driving beats, and creative rhythms, but it misses the mark. Some of the beats are really likable, but the accompanying sounds and vocals are so harsh and off-putting, I can’t enjoy them. I applaud the heavy, interesting lyrical concepts, even though I feel they’re mostly poorly executed. The album sounds like small-town kids experimenting with music while channeling their angst in their parents’ basement. I’m giving the album a 2, but really regarding it as a 2.5 because of the potential it had to be something better.

Tough listen at times, a little too deconstructionist for my taste. I like the mix of punk and industrial, but the lack of melody and songs keeps me from wanting to listen to it again

the distortion and overdrive and maybe fake drums on this album fucking slay. i want more energy like this. punk rock and early industrial. powerful stuff. acdc could learn a thing or two from a band that has something to say and the force to say it. fuck acdc lol.

Another group that could've had a good punk sound if they didn't add a bunch of noise for the sake of being noisy

1. jordan - 1 2. pazzing - 0 3. money - 0 4. kerozene - 1 5. bad - 1 6. love - 0 7. drunk - 1 8. joe - 0 9. ztrange - 1 10. cablez - 0

After testing the waters for 4 years straight, Big Black was finally ready to unleash the beast they had been waiting on releasing with their debut album Atomizer. Just like the name this album will grind you into the finest pieces if you let it and yet you will still never be able to get the killer bass tones on this album out of your head. While not stemming from DC where Hardcore and Post-Hardcore were born and raised, this is arguably one of the most authentic representations of the genre in its' very early years of development that was not under the Dischord label. I mean how do you even compete with a song like Kerosene, it is one of a kind and so fucking great at being this angsty and energetic anthem. While nothing quite lives up to Kerosene in terms of quality, there are still a lot of great moments that are pushed to the front half of this project. Unfortunately, the back half of this project is significantly weaker but still does kick some ass in that signature Steve Albini kind of way. I was surprised at how fast this 37 minutes flies by and it will definitely be a project I return to in the near future when I need some shit to really fire me up. Sadly I do not think this is better than Songs About Fucking, but I also completely understand the appeal of this project. Yet another win in my books for the Post-Hardcore genre.

Muito bom

Nice

I was surprised about how much I enjoyed this.

1.5? Idk, it's not my thing

Solid

This was better than I expected.

Instantly thought these must have influenced Nirvana and wow and behold the leader of the band produced their best album In uetro! Great discovery thank you 1001 albums

Raro álbum, algunas canciones me suenan a canciones de Misfits mal tocado y con mala voz, no se entiende la letra, es mucho ruido.

Kerosene

Harmonic percolator downnnnnn

this fucks. i'd been aware of big black for a while but had never listened properly, i thought this had a very unique sound, some extremely cutting bass lines, and steve albini has such a great cynical delivery throughout. great listen and i think the people demeaning it as "just noise" could do with being a bit more open minded.

This coming out in 1986 is genuinely a marvel. I don't think anyone's really made guitars sound like this in the 40 years since this came out.

Really good production. "Bad Houses" and "Stinking Drunk" were the standouts. I would love these guys live. But this isn't live.

Raw, abrasive and with pummelling percussion. I prefer Shellac, but cool to hear what Albini came up with first

Groupe inconnu. Musique indus / bruitiste plutôt réussie avec un gros son de basse et des sonorités de guitare assez originales. Je l'écouterais probablement de nouveau, mais par contre les morceaux sont un peu trop répétitifs à mon gout, il ne rejoindra pas ma collection. =>3/5 L'album me fait penser au 'Streetcleaner' de Godflesh, ma référence absolue dans le style indus, qui utilise aussi une boite à rythme et propose des sonorités lourdes de basse et originales guitare. Il est sortit 3 ans après 'Atomizer', celui-ci aurait donc bien pu inspirer Godflesh !

A new find and amazingly wonderful songs (I'm presently uploading the rest of their musical output). Other than Passing Complexion (3 stars), all these songs were 4 or 5 star gems. Jordan, Minnesota, Big Money, Kerosene, Bad Houses, and Stinking Drunk were stellar, while the rest were immensely enjoyable. On the average a high 4 which rounds up to 5 "atomized" stars.

I enjoyed it more than Bob Dylan anyway, although there was a lot of heavy noise, there was some catchy beats in there

A little rough for my taste, but not bad. Rating: 3/10 Favorite Song: Passing Complexion

Meh. Not really my thing.

It’s okay, considering the amount of screaming. Fav track: “Kerosene”

I don’t hate this, but it is a little more screamy than I would prefer. I’ll be somewhat generous and round to 3.

Never really listened to this one - enjoyed what I heard but not sure if I'll listen a lot,

I have an afffinity for Big Black, if I could have I would have given this a 2.5

Better than expected. Pretty in your face

Aggressive, raunchy, and really damn good. Worth hanging in there on this one, there's some good stuff happening in all that buzz and distortion.

Probably the most hostile and abrasive rock album that doesn't stray into metal territory. Every element in these recordings - from the searing guitars to Albini's strained vocals and disturbing lyrics make it a near wince-inducing listen - and for that I adore it.

Rv

Grating and unenjoyable. Occasional decent riffs bring it to a two.

Great industrial rock record, production is amazing even if the songs blend together too much

SET ME ON FIRE (worst painful guitar riff youve ever heard)

I was asking myself why would anyone listen to this willingly the entire time.

Enjoyable. New band to me.

Slam poetry but they slam your face against the curb. 4/5

Dark and disturbing, this one is a bleak listen. It's industrial punk that is not for the faint of heart. Love the song "Kerosene" but much of the rest is a muddled mess that occasionally coheres into a structured song. I'm going to have nightmares from the song "Fists of Love." Didn't know that Steve Albini was doing this before becoming a great producer.

I knew Albini was a legendary producer, but never heard his band. What a nice surprise. Reminiscent of Pixies and The Replacements at times, but a hell of a lot more anarchic and angst-ridden. Very dark subject matter that just gets drowned out by raging, cathartic noise. Feels very quintessentially DIY

Albums like this are why I'm doing this. Steve Albini was in a punk band in the 80s that helped give way to industrial music? What a banger of an album.

Love them

I didn't need that in my life.

As not a bit fan of pack rock with one is very cozy and comfortable - very easy and comfortable to listen

I quite like the music but I am a bit scared of the transgressive lyrics. Might return to.

I’ve known about Big Black for a long time, mostly because of their next album, “Songs About Fucking,” and its pretty iconic name and cover. But weirdly, despite knowing “Of” them for probably 20 years, I don’t think I had ever heard a second of their music? I think I thought they were a 2000s band? Hell, I wasn’t even sure what type of music they made. So yeah, despite hearing of Big Black before, I was basically clueless. Turns out, I like it! Honestly, I listened once, and other than a couple songs, I wasn’t sure, but something called me back. I started the album again, and then again, and I ended up listening to the album about three times. Something connected with me. The weird, echoey atmosphere. The vague, dark lyrics. Like the middle point between My Bloody Valentine and Nine Inch Nails. Very interesting. Maybe I should listen to “Songs About Fucking” finally!

I really enjoyed the raw sound, it's not been polished and it's all the better for it.

Lovely and I have a new band to listen too. Not bad

I should like Big Black more than I do.

I enjoyed this

Awful

Something I've tended to underrate in the past is that Durango and Albini both seem to have different ways of getting these inhumanely noisy sounds out of their guitars. Durango is as conventional about it as you can get with noise rock, his guitar sounds like he's probably getting real close to the amp so it sounds like his guitar is shooting out sparks of feedback. I have no idea what Albini's doing to get *his* sounds, but it makes it sound like he's throwing knives around or something! Personally, I prefer noise the way Durango (or someone like the Jesus and Mary Chain) does it, with Albini's knife-guitar being something I hear a lot in latter-day noise rock but have never really come to love myself. But in any case, the secret weapons here are Riley's bass and the drum machine, which make this album way more danceable than it has any right to be. Because why am I constantly grooving in my seat every time "Kerosene" comes on? Overall though, Atomizer is an album I respect more than I love; it's influential on all sorts of my favorite bands, and I do think "Kerosene" is an absolute classic of the genre, but aside from that Atomizer fails to consistently capture my attention.

Industrial rock isn’t really my bag. But there were some likable smatterings of punk here and there. That and the Looney Tunes-inspired cover art earns them an extra star.

Garage metal that’s strangely endearing. It picks up at “Kerosene,” but it’s “Bazooka Joe” that forces rounding up.

Although not a long album, it felt long, took me having to stop and come back a couple times. Some of the songs were hit or miss and wasn’t the biggest fan overall.

Thank you Steve Albini, you changed the world

I can understand why people don’t like this. I embrace the noise and aggression. This feels like industrial hardcore punk music.

A big slog, not fun at all for me

Crazy good album though Songs About Fucking is better

Couldn't pick it out of a lineup five minutes after listening to it but I was all in on it for 37 some minutes while it was playing.

Wasn't that bad but not the kind of punk I like. Too fast for me just like how I don't like speed metal.

This was pretty great in the sense of being a real punk rock bullshit mess. Most of this was perfectly listenable despite being the kind of unnecessarily abrasive and fast counter-culture style that can easily fall apart to just noise. The drum machine being so exact and the hard cut outs of the guitar, bass and vocals go together really well. It's not something you put on every day but it's a bedrock for industrial rock afterward and for a sort of evolution of punk. I realize it's not going to be everyone's favorite but I liked it.

Better than I thought. Heavy with notes of Joy Division

Atomizer is a complete assault on the senses, and, honestly, I couldn't get enough of it. I expected some standard, shouty '80s punk, but Steve Albini and his crew delivered a pitch black, mechanical nightmare... A sonic collision of punk, noise rock, and industrial. The dual guitar attack is absolute violence, scraping and screeching, locked into a relentless, inhuman groove driven by a cold drum machine. Underneath it all, Dave Riley's heavy bass keeps you glued to the floor. It's a unique, masterfully engineered record that still sounds fresh and urgent. Lyrically, it's not an easy listen. Albini dives into the darkest corners of the American underbelly, tackling taboo themes without any comforting moralization. At times, the lyrical stance borders on provocative, but it's an emotionally exhausting, fiercely confrontational listen that offers zero catharsis. It certainly won't be for everyone. But if you can look past the bleakness and embrace the filth, it's an undeniable landmark of extreme music.

eeee es 🫤

Fun

I’m a hardcore punk/music fan…I think? Is the line between noise rock and punk/hardcore thinner than I thought?

not my style but its okey. too punk for me

Better than Coldplay

Industrial punk with some great riffs. Liked this, and it didn’t go on too long. Would listen again.

J'ai adoré

Ça c'est un album qui s'écoute fort. Autant au début j'ai détesté, mais après mon avis a évolué : je pense que c'est un album qui fait très bien ce qu'il est censé faire. Je pourrais m'y replonger. En plus la pochette est géniale. Playlist pick : Kerosene

Fun electronic punk rock, one song was screamy but the rest were good.

I listened to this three times in a row. Didn't understand 99% of it. Scared to look up the lyrics lol.

Do my ears deceive me? An industrial rock album that actually resembled music? Don't get me wrong, it still had its fair share of sheet metal being scraped and clanked, along with shrieky feedback. But, as a whole, I didn't hate it. I almost actually...liked it. I don't think noise rock can get any better than this.

I was going to say they took the sound from Ministry, but looking up the timeline, I see that's reversed. I see the foundations of industrial but I'm surprised to call them a punk band. Hard core is the label I'd have used. In the vein of Jesus Lizard and Jehu.

Some of the "singing" didn't do it for me but there's some pretty good grooves on this. It grew on me.

I didn’t like this. They did have a song called Jordan, Minnesota which is odd. The songs were too long for a punk album. Did not enjoy.

It was very dark and distorted, I would say it was a type of metal, because it was post-punk for sure. It had some solid moments but I think they were still exploring a new sound. So kind of a high two star album for me.

Same as previous. I need to be in the right mood for this. It’s good for what it is, just not something I would choose to listen to unless I was in some very specific circumstances. Still feeling generous.

A try hard punk band with a very odd sound. Most of the songs sound like a car backfiring or a fat person falling down the stairs

Lowkey mechanized.

really didn't like this

Good fun, raw punk album

Cool to hear Albini’s own original musical vision before it was applied to so many other bands’ great records.

An interesting album, but not one I’d want to listen to very often. It has that abrasive, chaotic energy that probably would’ve really connected with my 14-year-old self, even if it doesn’t do much for me now.

The sounds on this literally hurt my head.

Some Strange Things here

It's punk, so that's good. But nothing stood out for me, so it's average to me.

Noisy nasty wild and sometimes fun. Loved it

Not a fan of noise rock. While this isn't inherently bad, it's not really to my taste.

I think this is my favoutie Big Black, maybe Albini record too. The first side is flawless. Loud, piercing, metallic, also plenty of melody. Lyrics are more than edgelord posturing, hopefully anyway. 4.5 rounded up Heard before? Yes Owned: Yes: 71/284 (25%) Will I get: Already have

Blind album and artist. I feel like this recording a cut was really rough on the edges and hurt to listen to at times. I understand that this is industrial noise Rock but at least try to make it sound better.

Nope

Atomizer is the debut album from Big Black, the punk band from Chicago. The album is regarded as one of the greatest albums in American punk, and the first work in a style that developed into industrial rock. Big Black's songs use distorted, noisy guitars with a drum machine to make a droning sound. The vocals are angry and aggressive, and address disturbing topics like murder, rape, and child abuse. This is challenging, angry, formative, and influential punk.

RATING: 5/10 HIGHLIGHT: Kerosene LOWLIGHT: Fists of Love

I've previously tried to listen to Big Black, being a fan of punk rock and an admirer of much of Steve Albini as a music industry figure (but not the edgelord bullshit he later apologized for). I struggled with it in part because of the edgelord-y lyrical content, but also it's dissonance and general fuck-you attitude. This time around, I liked it quite a bit better. The grim grind of it remains off-putting, but the sort of off-putting music I like (early IDLES, Sonic Youth, some NIN). I don't see myself spinning this a lot, but spinning it some.

This was a lot for an early morning commute to work, but I'm really glad I've heard it. Definitely sounds way before its time.

6.5/10

Kerosene

Reminiscent of Suicide and Pailhead. Excellent intersection of styles I personally love, hardcore, industrial, and punk, a pioneering release from 1985. They were diy to the extreme too, never signing contracts and booking their own tours, maintaining complete control over their careers in a consistent fsck you to the music industry. Led many in indie rock and industrial rock scenes. Discomforting, thought provoking lyrical content too.

Passing Complexion is one of the best tracks ever recorded. The rest of the album gave me a headache.

I gave my ears plenty of time to cooperate. They didn't. Now I'm punishing them with this

Big Black COCK FUCK THIS ALBUM

ear rape

Kopfschmerzen

after first 2 tracks I hated it, but then it gets better and better... and then I went straight for replay from the start

A serviceable punk album. I can’t say anything really stuck out, but I’ve listen to a ton of albums Steve Albini helped to record and produce, so I can see why this would be on the list. Just not really all that interesting to me as a listen.

Überzeugend

~*set me on fire*~

Punk rock. From the first notes - Loud and obnoxious. Not for me.

Very little musicality. Not for me

Uhh….

This is cool. Does Mr Albini know there are EQ settings other than treble? Who cares what he thinks, he's a creep and he's dead. Made a pretty good album tho. Very interesting sounds on here. Like Passing Complexion, that's an unplaceable weird mechanical noise loop they've got as a background, like putting an active guitar pickup through a bandsaw. But it works. I get a lot of Pixies vibes from the screaming and backing tracks, but this came first and its the same guy, so maybe that's why I'm vibing with it so well. Lot of Hella and Brainiac vibes too. Neato. One thing I'm noticing compared with the Pixies (because that's my point of reference), the songs here aren't really songing. They're pieces of music yeah, but most lack songiness. I can relisten to the Pixies because they're songy. Most of these aren't songy, more like sketches to build cool noises around. And that's okay. It's just less appealing to me than a song. Kerosene kicks ass. Bass sounds like a trash can full of aluminium baseball bats in a cement mixer. Strange things is dance music. It's awesome. Nah man this album's fucking rad.

Schrott! Kann weg!

Moody punk that still rages a bit too much for me to really enjoy at this point in my life. I grant that I would have been more tolerant back in the day, but this genre just doesn't resonate as much long term.

Freaking amazing! 2 minutes into the first song I was ready to write it off as just being noisy trash with horrible sounding drums, but they way there's the relentless, hypnotic repetition of beats and dissonance with sudden resolve into melody is incredible!

Now I've finally heard Big Black after hearing about them for decades and reading Our Band Could be Your Life about 10 years back. Not what I expected and pleasantly surprised by the riffage and the general sonic texture, even if not totally my thing. Like to think I would have been into them at the time.

A couple years ago, someone asked me what band I wish I could have seen back in the day but never did. I rattled off a few names, but only much later realized that I had left probably my #1 pick off the list - Big Black. Of course, I would have been barely a tween when these guys were around, and there's zero chance what they were doing would have appealed to me at the time or made any sense. And no, I don't really count the "reunion" at the Touch & Go fest, whenever that was. It was fun, but you know....you had to be there back in the day. Songs About Fucking is my #1, but this album is also great, with Kerosene being the clear standout and a mix-tape go-to. Albini's tone, here and across all his other bands, is so wildly unique and never gets old. And the way these guys were able to influence and bridge so many different sub-genres all at once is amazing. What a great band. All the things people call out in the one star reviews on this site are exactly what's great about this album.

I was 18 the first time I heard Big Black, via "Kerosene" on a mixtape from my girlfriend, and it blew my mind. Even more so once I learned Big Black was considered punk and not industrial, which was my first impression. It was only the first of many times a Steve Albini project would make me rethink my preconceptions. This is him at his most caustic and abrasive, and I love it.

I kinda like this. More than I thought I would. It’s harsh but melodic at the same time, which works for me. The ‘transgressive’ lyrics are a bit edgelord though. Just as well they’re not to the fore. 3.5

Atomizer by Big Black is one of the more average albums I’ve come across in this challenge. Nothing really grabbed me from start to finish. It just sort of passed by without leaving much of an impression, and it’s not something I’d go back to. At times it felt like a precursor to a lot of the American punk and alt rock from the 90s that I’ve never really liked, bands like Blink-182 and Green Day. That said, there are positives. The sound is raw, aggressive, and powerful, and you can appreciate the influence it must have had. It just doesn’t have enough memorable moments to pull you in or bring you back. Favourite track: Passing Complexion, a relatively catchy moment on the album Least favourite tracks: Most of the album blends together and doesn’t leave much of an impression Album artwork: Great cover, bright and eye-catching and easily the standout for me

I'm not much of a fan of industrial, but this wasn't bad.

That first track was awful. It definitely hindered my experience even though the rest of the album really wasn't bad. As much as I want to hate it, it's too catchy and is purposefully harsh. It's not bad, just not music to my ears.

Not a fan

This felt like an aural assault after the relatively mellow The Renaissance by Q-tip. I absolutely loved this, the starting point of industrial. It’s harsh, ugly and utterly brilliant.

Big Black feels like a band I'd be embarrassed to listen to in public. If someone glanced over at me and saw the Atomizer cover art on my phone, hear the unusually piercing percussion cutting through my earphones... they would shake their head and mutter about "youth these days". And I would agree. (Hey, at least this isn't their later album Songs About Fucking, which has one of the worst album covers known to man.) Passing Complexion excels, in an ironic sort of way. That high-pitched guitar(?) riff is aggressively distorted to the point where, combined with the other sounds, it resembles one of those bass-boosted meme songs from the 2010s. Kerosene's badass-sounding intro and hyper-aggressive, slightly foreboding basswork also grant it a place in my top 3. "Set me on faiyahhhhh. Kerosene." I don't understand these reviews at all. Another reviewer wrote: "Wholesome songs about paedophilia, racial passing, abuse of power in the police force, arson and self-immolation, shame, fist fucking and domestic violence, alcoholism... The aural equivalent of suffering blunt force trauma to the head from a sledgehammer". And then gave the album 4 stars. My guy, we're not running a charity here. Give the artist the 1 star they deserve, and no more than that. Creativity doesn't translate to "good music", and when it isn't even particularly creative (post-punk emerged 8 years earlier than this record was released), what is there to compliment? According to others, its abrasiveness. Which is arguably the antithesis of what makes something sound good. Bazooka Joe starts off poorly with the fun "You don't have to be alone, Joe. You don't have to be alone, Joe. Welcome back, Joe. Welcome back, Joe. Hang with me, Joe. Hang with me, Joe." And then continues with that, bellowed rather than sung, ad nauseam. Not a good look, Big Black. 1/5 Key tracks: Passing Complexion, Kerosene

A pleasant surprise. Musically and rhythmically pretty listenable. In an 80’s musical world dominated by Britpop and heavily synthesized pop, this comes as a breath of fresh air. That said, the production on some of the early tracks is super muddy, such that you can barely hear the vocals. I assume this is intentional, but since these boys definitely have something to say, I find it distracting and think that this detracts somewhat from the overall experience, enough to keep it out of five star territory for me.

This is exactly the kind of album I want to hear. A band I know nothing about, and a style and delivery which sounds completely unique. It doesn't really sound like anything else at the time (that I'm aware of). In fact this sounds really modern, and not like the mid-80's at all. It's got a real murky, unusual sound to it, with lots of distortion. It's very noisy, but not in an aggressive, unpleasant way. I really like the cool driving bass and drum beats. 3.5 rounded down.

i'm not personally much of a fan of this brand of abrasive punk rock but i'm told it was influential, good for them then 3.5/5

This album is so bleak and loud and angry. I don't remember 1985 that way. I'm still rating it highly because it has an attractive, car crash quality (especially Kerosene)

## Overview Released in early 1986 on Homestead Records (after delays from late 1985), *Atomizer* stands as the definitive statement from Big Black—the Chicago-based noise rock trio led by Steve Albini. This was the band's first full-length LP and marked the debut of bassist Dave Riley, joining Albini (guitar/vocals/drum machine programming) and Santiago Durango (guitar). The album represents a watershed moment where punk, industrial, and noise rock converged into something genuinely terrifying and groundbreaking. --- ## Musical Style & Composition ### The "Roland" Drum Machine Revolution The most immediately striking element of *Atomizer* is the band's use of a Roland TR-606 drum machine—credited as a full band member simply named "Roland." Unlike other bands who used drum machines as metronomes or drummer substitutes, Big Black treated Roland as a lead instrument. The machine's cold, relentless, mechanical beats created an inhuman foundation that allowed the guitars to explore textures of pure abrasion. As Albini later noted, "I feel like it's an underutilized instrument... In Big Black, the drum machine got to stretch its legs a little." ### Guitar Innovation The dual-guitar attack of Albini and Durango remains unmatched in its sheer sonic violence. The pair employed **notched metal guitar picks** (sheet metal clips attached to standard picks) to achieve sounds that were genuinely unprecedented—scraping, shrieking, industrial textures that sounded like "metal being scraped against the floor" or "an explosion in a sheet-metal factory." Key sonic moments include: - **"Kerosene"**: Albini's intro has been described as "completely incapable of being accurately described by vocal imitation or physical gesture"—like playing "shards of broken glass rather than a musical instrument" - **"Passing Complexion"**: Features a "synth-like laser-trill" achieved through notched picks that creates a "tinny Chinese din" - **"Fists of Love"**: A masterclass in wringing maximum drama from a single riff, with Durango's "mock-heroic, drunk-epic" playing style ### Bass & Production Dave Riley's bass work provides the crucial human element—"lumberjack bass" that rumbles beneath the metallic chaos. The production, handled by the band with Iain Burgess, established what would become Albini's signature approach: **bright, dry, surgical, and brutally clear**. There's no sludge or gloom in the mix—it's "the aural equivalent of surgical steel and bright lights." --- ## Lyrical Content & Themes *Atomizer* is unflinchingly transgressive, exploring what critics have termed **"Midwestern Gothic"**—a literary tradition of exposing the rot beneath the surface of small-town America. The lyrics function as fictional forays into the American underbelly, narrated with a deadpan bleakness that makes them all the more disturbing. ### Track-by-Track Subject Matter: | Track | Theme | |-------|-------| | **"Jordan, Minnesota"** | Child abuse ring scandal (narrated from perpetrators' perspective) | | **"Passing Complexion"** | Racial passing and identity | | **"Big Money"** | Corrupt police fabricating evidence | | **"Kerosene"** | Small-town boredom leading to self-immolation | | **"Bad Houses"** | Possibly a dark reply to John Mellencamp's "Pink Houses" | | **"Fists of Love"** | Domestic violence and extreme consensual physicality | | **"Stinking Drunk"** | Alcoholism and relapse | | **"Bazooka Joe"** | Vietnam veteran turned contract killer/PTSD | | **"Strange Things"** | Paranoia and dissociation | | **"Cables"** | Slaughterhouse work and desensitization to violence | The opening track "Jordan, Minnesota" remains particularly controversial—describing a real child pornography bust from the perspective of the abusers with lines like "Gyrating hips, we do what we like." The effect is intentionally discomforting, forcing listeners to confront evil without the safety of moralizing narration. --- ## Production & Engineering *Atomizer* showcases the production philosophy that would make Steve Albini one of the most sought-after engineers in rock music (later working on *Surfer Rosa*, *In Utero*, *Rid of Me*, and countless others). The sound is: - **Bright and present**: No murk or muddy low-end—every frequency is exposed - **Dry and immediate**: Minimal reverb, creating claustrophobic intimacy - **Dynamic**: The quiet parts are terrifying because you know the explosion is coming - **Industrial yet organic**: Machines and humans locked in combat The album was recorded in Chicago with Iain Burgess, and the band famously included detailed liner notes explaining recording circumstances—such as the revelation that part of "Bazooka Joe"'s drum track is actually "an M1 carbine being fired in a field exercise, by a guy named Joe." --- ## Influence & Legacy *Atomizer* is a cornerstone document in the development of **noise rock**, **post-hardcore**, and **industrial rock**. Its influence extends across decades: - **Nine Inch Nails**: Trent Reznor's industrial sound owes a clear debt to Big Black's integration of mechanical beats and guitar violence - **Post-Hardcore/Noise Rock**: Bands like Shellac (Albini's later project), Jesus Lizard, and countless Touch and Go Records acts followed the template - **Grunge**: The album's raw production and confrontational stance prefigured the Seattle explosion - **Industrial Metal**: Ministry and later industrial acts borrowed heavily from the Roland-plus-guitars approach Sonic Youth guitarist Thurston Moore was famously quoted as saying Big Black made everyone else's music sound "as light and fluffy as a Disney movie soundtrack." The band's influence was so pervasive that when Sonic Youth released their *Master-Dik* EP in 1988, they included a sticker reading: **"Not as good as Atomizer, so don't get your hopes up, cheese!"** --- ## Pros & Cons ### **Pros:** ✅ **Groundbreaking sonic innovation** — The notched-pick guitar technique and drum machine integration created sounds never heard before in rock music ✅ **Production excellence** — Crystal-clear yet brutal; established Albini's engineering reputation ✅ **Uncompromising vision** — Every element serves the aesthetic of mechanical, dehumanized violence ✅ **"Kerosene"** — Widely regarded as one of the greatest noise rock songs ever recorded, with its mesmerizing bass line and horrifying lyrics about rural desperation ✅ **Durango's guitar work** — The secret weapon of the band; his riffs were so good that Albini claimed "a sub-group of Chicago bands that subsisted purely on riffs Durango had thrown out" ✅ **Timeless quality** — As one reviewer noted, "recorded in 1985, some 35-40 years ago, and it still feels like it was recorded yesterday" ✅ **No filler** — Even the supposedly "weakest" track "Strange Things" contains one of Durango's "grand off-kilter guitar lines" ### **Cons:** ❌ **Lyrically problematic** — Albini's "proto-edgelord stance" (his own later admission) can feel gratuitously provocative rather than substantive commentary on tracks like "Jordan, Minnesota" ❌ **Emotionally exhausting** — The relentless bleakness and sonic violence make it difficult to consume in one sitting; as one critic noted, "I can only listen to it in limited doses" ❌ **Deliberately alienating** — The band's aesthetic of "filthy music" means there's no entry point for listeners seeking melody or conventional songcraft ❌ **Repetitive textures** — Some listeners find the drum-machine-plus-scraping-guitars formula becomes "same-y" over the 37-minute runtime ❌ **No catharsis** — Unlike other aggressive music, *Atomizer* offers no release or redemption; "I wouldn't exactly call its brutalism cathartic" --- ## Final Assessment *Atomizer* is a **landmark of extreme music**—a document of Reagan-era American darkness that sounds as fresh and threatening today as it did in 1986. It exists at the perfect intersection of innovation and intent: every sonic choice serves the thematic goal of exposing the mechanical violence underlying suburban normalcy. While the lyrics occasionally cross from transgressive into merely transgressive-for-its-own-sake, and the unrelenting bleakness can be emotionally draining, the album's influence on noise rock, industrial, and post-hardcore is immeasurable. It established Steve Albini as a sonic architect of genius and proved that drum machines could be brutal instruments of war rather than mere timekeepers.

Fighting the urge to give this one star. I think the tone of the bass guitar here is really cool. But truthfully, these are just not good songs. The vocalist is really not good. Frankly, this isn't a good band and they don't write good songs, so I'm unsure why it's even a part of this.

I've been trying to decide when I was young and angry enough for this kind of music to appeal to me. In considering whether or not the album belongs on a list of 1001 that everyone must listen to before we die, I can't think of a single thing this brings to the table that hasn't already been done better by groups like the Sex Pistols, The Clash, and at least half a dozen other angry punk groups from the late 70s though the early 90s with one or more albums on the list. It's another bit of evidence either that 1001 is far too many albums to put on a required listening list or that the compilers of the list had far too limited personal listening experiences for the list to have much legitimacy.

Barely listened to two full songs. Too scream-o.

Lots of energy but musicality not very interesting.

This one was not so bad.

too much noise

Genuinely the worst album I've ever listened to. Mind boggling that this made the list. People that gave it 4 or 5 stars must know something I don't. Just plain noise with terrible sound mixing and no musical element

Overall Rating - 2.30/5 (4.60/10). Not the kind of punk I particularly like.

fav songs: passing complexion aggressive, confrontational, abrasive 60/100

Pretty good. Not really all that crazy or wild. Not sure it’s something I’d want to listen to regularly.

No

* To be fair this isn't really the type of music I'd play myself but it's a decent album to say the least.

I enjoyed it. My first listen to Industrial Punk.

This is dope. Can't believe I've never heard of them before.