Big Black were a band that were capable of pushing the envelope of what was acceptable in music, with the legendary helmsman Steve Albini. Although recognised as a Hardcore Punk group, that is merely a tag for the music that Big Black made. Atomizer is their first album, let’s see how it sounds today.

The first track Jordan, Minnesota is introduced with a drone sound, before going into a really cool Hardcore Punk styled track that has some rapid fire beats and some awesome guitars. “This will stay with you until you die!” is chanted here, and the whole thing is cool and unusual. There are some melodramatic sounds towards the end, and we have a super trippy outro. Great start to the album.

Next is Passing Complexion which is a melodic and interesting sounding piece from the start. Some fuzzy bass guitar sounds are here, before the lyrics kick in and we have an energetic and interesting piece to listen to. Screamed lyrics over the top make this sound very urgent. Catchy and unique, this is different for sure. A great and catchy listen from start to finish, using a variety of instrumentation. The scream at the end is brilliant.

Big Money starts off with a super fuzzy guitar riff, before kicking into a great melodic piece that is so unlike anything of the time. It has drum machine beats throughout, making this a different sort of experience than usual. This is an excellent listen, and has some unique sounds on it. Short and awesome, it demands repeat listens. Great stuff here.

Kerosene comes next, and this has some even more wacky guitar parts, before other melodies kick in. This is really great to hear. A super dirty bass riff comes along next. Catchy, different and awesome, this piece has some lyrics about small town living and the boredom that goes with it, with lyrics about using kerosene for fun are here. A great six minute long piece that never gets dull or boring listening to it, this is a top effort. The suspense in this track is also really good, with a false ending. Catchy and good from start to finish. A great song.

Next is Bad Houses which begins with some drum machine beats, before some razor sharp guitar riffs enter. This is a shorter piece that is very well done and mixed, with unique sounds throughout. It’s almost like an instrumental, but a clever one at that. This is a timeless record, without a doubt and this is an example of it as a song.

Following is Fists Of Love which begins with a heavily processed bass guitar riff, some fantastic electronic sounds and an awesome guitar riff that is super catchy. This is brilliant stuff. Some screaming about feeling said fist of love is here, and this is top listening to this day. This album rightly deserves classic status, and has some excellent mixing of some unusual sounds here.

Stinking Drunk is next, with a catchy drum machine pattern to start with. It then has some unusual instrumentation enter, although being very memorable. A great tune, with more searing guitars and confrontational lyrics, this is awesome. It goes into a breakdown with drum machine beats and trebly guitars only, before “GO!” is screamed and other instrumentation joins in. All in all, brilliant.

Bazooka Joe starts off with some rhymes referring to the central character of the song, which are electronically treated and some drum machine beats follow. This is absolutely brilliant and suspenseful, whilst chanting continues insisting that Joe needn’t be alone. A great piece of quirky musicianship, this is really good. The guitar riffage throughout is also very good, showcasing a great and unique set of musicianship. The chanting towards the end becomes pseudo-screaming, nice.

Next is Strange Things which starts with chanted “Hey”s, and some great dirty bass guitar riffs, before drum machine beats kick in. Very awesome, melodic and listenable, this is a great song to listen to, although this is coming towards the end of the album. The immaculate attention to detail here is really top. A catchy and interesting listen that deserves to be heard multiple times. Great stuff. The outro is top.

Last is Cables (Live) which starts with some super fuzzy trebly guitars that sound admittedly weird, before the other instruments kick in. This is an excellent live performance, and is frenetic from start to finish. This is a great album, and is very great listening from start to finish. This last track is no exception. Great effort.

This is an unusual, boundary pushing album and sounds very good from start to finish. An array of quirky and unusually mixed sounds are here. If you like hardcore Punk with attitude, or just want to hear something different, start here. You will not be disappointed.

Quirky.

9/10