Album Review

Another intriguing signing for this Louisana label, the vowel-intensively-named Ateriavia (I still don‘t know how to pronounce it correctly) released this six-song EP crammed with spacey, screamy rock that still knows how to get heavy - and great song titles! The standard instrumental configuration of two guitars, drums, bass and vocals has keyboards thrown into the mix, and the result is a half-dozen stabbings of reckless joy. ‘We‘re Not Dutch, But We Wear These Wooden Shoes Like We‘re From Montana‘ (funny, since judging by last names, two members clearly sport Dutch extraction) kicks off with heavy atmosphere and abandon before ‘This Sierra Classic Is Of A Prestigious Fleet‘ brings spirited punk rhythms with rootsy screamo intensity. And check this out for an unwieldy title: ‘Oh, You Must Have Mistaken John Elway For Someone Who Can‘t Throw A Vortex The Length Of Two Football Fields‘ - somewhere, the similarly-minded Fall Out Boy are saying, "We can‘t compete with this!" ‘John Elway‘ presents thick basslines and a Q And Not U feel, prompting the dance crews in every town to kick into full swing, and also features one of the few breakdowns on the album. ‘If I‘m Correct, There Should Be A Song Around Here Somewhere. Oh Yeah, Here It Is!‘ is the fastest song here, with a frantic feel through, even in the slower measures, and ‘In Conclusion, I‘m Not Big On Quizzes, But Come Crunch Time Or When It Counts, I‘ll Be There‘ finishes up with the sonic equivalent of an incoming tide before disappearing into the mists to the beat of a drumstick march. Coincidentally, the first band thanked in the liner notes is southern Ontario‘s Alexisonfire, another loose touchstone for Ateriavia‘s sound.

There are a lot of bands out there doing this, but this project doesn‘t come off as clichéd. It‘s a fun ride; hop on the bandwagon.

- Mike Postma

[Ateriavia] [Lujo Records]

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