Back in 1996, Atari Teenage Riot rocked the nation with their stateside debut, Burn, Berlin, Burn. Teens everywhere identified with their manifesto: bring down the system. Suddenly, kids started running wild in the streets, rioting, screaming, and going generally hog wild. Then, before anyone even knew what was happening, the system fell completely apart. Soon after, teenagers took over the world, but after a few days, they got bored with the whole situation and went back to their Playstations.

That never happened. And why not? I mean, it seemed so probable. Atari Teenage Riot's record should have caught on big time with the kids-- after all, it combined speed metal, electronica, and rebellion. It was perfect. But for some inexplicable reason, nobody cared. I mean, at least the kids who like Rammstein should have been into it? I guess not. My theory? Their cliché- ridden anti- everything messages are just too damn boring. We've heard all this shit before (namely, on every other Digital Hardcore album ever released, and with much better results on Public Enemy's It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back). Kids these days have Marilyn Manson who not only offers them actual songs, but also shocks their parents into submission, sucks dick on stage, covers the Eurythmics and speaks perfect English.

On 60 Second Wipe Out, the band's updated their sound somewhat by incorporating some guitar hooks and more samples. But for as different as this album sounds from Burn, Berlin, Burn (there's not a single sample to be found), it still seems strangely identical. They may have found their first radio single in "Revolution Action," but the rest of the album is... well, distinctly Digital Hardcore. I mean, what's left to say about these guys? In 1989, their shit would have hit the spot. It might have changed the course of music, and blown Poison and Winger right off the map. Ten years later, you can find it in the used bin. So much for retaliation.

-Ryan Schreiber