Relationship Of Command by At the Drive-In

Relationship Of Command

At the Drive-In

2000
3.13
Rating
54
Votes
1
7%
2
24%
3
33%
4
19%
5
17%
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Album Summary

Relationship of Command is the third studio album by American post-hardcore band At the Drive-In, released on September 12, 2000. The album combines an aggressive edge with a melodic drive, harmonious, emotive vocals, and surreal lyrics. While it continues in the alternative style of At the Drive-In's previous albums, Relationship of Command is seen as a more well-rounded album than its predecessors. Initially received positively by critics, the album is now seen not only as one of the most influential post-hardcore albums of the 2000s, but also as one of the most accomplished recent works in the wider rock spectrum. Relationship of Command was voted twelfth out of 100 in the Albums of the Decade by NME, and the 37th most influential album of all time by Kerrang!. It was the band's final album to feature founding guitarist Jim Ward.

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Reviews

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Length: All Short Long
Mar 25 2026 Author
5
I can remember the first time I heard "One Armed Scissor" by At the Drive-in, it was a defining moment remembering me that rock is still not dead yet. The dynamic shift, energy and aggression give me the goosebumps every time. The rest of the songs on Relationship of Command are pretty good too. Not all are as straightforward and dynamic as "One Armed Scissor", but it's post-hardcore with some prog mixed into it. One of my favorite albums of the 2000s.
Apr 03 2026 Author
5
Musical equivalent of getting shot out of a cannon straight into a concrete wall. I was gonna say it's "one of the best post-hardcore albums of all time", but that implies there's a better one somewhere out there.
Mar 22 2026 Author
3
You’ll are depressed recommending this much emo recently
Mar 31 2026 Author
3
Post Hardcore is one of my least liked Genres but my initial thought was "it sounds like Mars Volta" and further investigation proved why. It's actually pretty good and mixes up more than just screaming and thrash. I liked it.
Apr 03 2026 Author
5
The most insane, artistic guitar-driven LP of the aughts and it's not even close. The sheer musical expression on this math-rock meets post-hardcore project has yet to be topped by any incarnation of ATDI/Mars Volta since – the band operates (and sounds like) a broken machine, a metal cacophony that still manages to squeeze melodic beauty from the most discordant rock possible. An all-out collective panic attack where every instrumental is world-class, the entire band able to pivot on a dime from chaos into calm and vice versa. I've revisited this LP several times in the past decade and find new technicalities and layers to dive into every time. Absolute triumph of the genre and a persistent reminder of how fucking insane rock can be instrumentally when pushed to the limit. 100% deserves to be on the official list and could eat most of the main 1001 for breakfast easy.
Mar 20 2026 Author
4
Influential post-hardcore
Mar 23 2026 Author
4
Rating: 8/10 Best songs: Pattern against use, One armed scissor, Rolodex propaganda
Mar 29 2026 Author
4
Almost definitive. I've tried and while I understand it, I don't feel it.
Apr 02 2026 Author
4
It's maybe too long to really stick with me for its full length, but it's an impressive hardcore from the early emo days.
Apr 05 2026 Author
4
First impression was that this sounded like a bunch of other things but on further research it seemed more likely an issue of a bunch of later things sounding like this. A big part of their sound is something I feel like more or less contemporary band Rage Against the Machine became more well known for. But there's more going on here, and all to its benefit. Not my favorite genre but this was very good.
Mar 21 2026 Author
3
Interesting genre here… felt a bit like it was somewhere between punk and hard rock. It was pretty good.
Mar 22 2026 Author
3
When you listen to this album it gives that sound of familiarity that is hard to place. A bit before it’s time with a 2000 release. These guys ended up splitting up and some were part of Mars Volta where you can get a sense of how later 00s sound derived from this. This isn’t a diamond in the rough but it’s still a good hard alternative rock album if that’s your jam. 6.8/10
Mar 26 2026 Author
3
This definitely sounds like the year it’s from.
Mar 28 2026 Author
3
Y2K American Post-Hardcore, which is an interesting combination of time, genre, and place. Post-hardcore's *really* not a genre that I care for (and jesus goddamn the people here love adding it to the list), but thankfully this one's making more interesting moves than most of the others that have been sent in. It was very affirming to check the wiki and learn that some of the members would go on to form The Mars Volta—it's very proggy, and I thought I recognized the singer's voice, but he's doing a completely different (worse) style on here.
Apr 01 2026 Author
3
Post-hardcore. Ni fu ni fa.
Apr 02 2026 Author
3
It's some alt rock that goes hard, baby!!