CD reviews: At The Drive In

As one of the late-’90s most combustible bands, At The Drive In brought a cerebral edge to the hardcore scene, producing one of the genre’s most feted releases (2000’s Relationship of Command), only to acrimoniously split into factions defined by the height of their hair: the noodly prog of The Mars Volta and the more radio-friendly Sparta.

Some 17 years on from their imperial phase, in·ter a·li·a. is a thrilling reminder of their splenetic impact as beat-poet lyrical abstraction (incurably Innocent), twitchy stop-start dynamics (Holtzclaw) and stadium-ready riffola (Hostage Stamps) confirm that this station is now operational.

• At The Drive In. in·ter a·li·a.  Rise Records.

• Four stars (out of five)

Single download: Governed By Contagions
For those who like: Fugazi, Pink Floyd

— John Hayden