Track Listing

1. Arcarsenal
2. Pattern Against User
3. One Armed Scissor
4. Sleepwalk Capsules
5. Invalid Litter Dept.
6. Mannequin Republic
7. Enfilade
8. Rolodex Propaganda
9. Quarantined
10. Cosmonaut
11. Non-Zero Possibility
12. Extracurricular (Previously Unreleased Bonus Track)
13. Catacombs (Previously Unreleased Bonus Track)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7017 in Music
• Released on: 2006-07-01
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
It's maddeningly rare that a band can provide a visceral thrill--Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit", Rage Against The Machine's "Killing In The Name"--and still work the grey matter as well. Here's a band that's refined the art. Hailing from El Paso, Texas, At The Drive-In come poised somewhere between the rabid showmanship of The Make-Up and the avant-complexity of emo pioneers The Lapse, but through sheer adrenaline alone, leave both bands choking on their exhaust fumes. Sure, they're got their unique selling point--lead singer Cedric Bixler and guitarist Omar Rodriguez both sport immense Afros--but this band is no idle gimmickry. Recorded after a stint touring with Rage Against The Machine, Relationship Of Command is the punk-rock real deal, the angular hardcore dynamic of "One Armed Scissor" and "Rolodex Propaganda" (the latter featuring the rabid holler of a guest-starring Iggy Pop) as focused and affecting as any rock music to come out of America for the last five years. "And the paramedics fell into the wound like a re-hired scab at a fair-headed plant, an anaesthetic penance beneath a hail of contraband!" spits Bixler on the album's high water mark, "Invalid Letter Dept". "Dancing on the corpses' ashes!" What does it all mean? Do you really need to ask? All get down for At The Drive-In, punk-rock heroes for a cerebral America. --Louis Pattison

Customer Reviews

a guitar master-piece
i have to say first of all that this album is superb, catchy (if not immediately) and with a very, very long life span. BUT my main point is that every budding guitarist out there (like myself) who feel they are stuck in a box or shape, listen to this record for inspiration. what sounds fairly tuneless to start with soon becomes addictive and greatly enjoyable. the lead guitarists small expressions often verge on bluesey in feel and then reduce to visceral squeals the next. you have to hear it to believe it. trust me :)

Utterly brilliant
Amidst the sea of watered down nu-metal and post-grunge boredom come a truly inspirational band. 'Relationship of Command' is the album that introduced one of the greatest rock acts ever into the mainstream...

...and then they went and split. A terrible shame, though it was, they've left behind some fantastic music (and look to go on to make more with new bands such as Sparta and The Mars Volta).

'Relationship of Command' is often hailed as the band's best album, due partly to the brilliant production job from uber-producer Ross Robinson, but mainly because the band seem completely comfortable with what they're doing.

The album is quite avante garde and obscure in places, never afraid to break the boundaries, but the band's feel for melody and tunefulness also shines through. That said, the album actually has quite dark, heavy feel, unlike the previous releases, but still remains instantly accessible.

Part of the brilliance of the album is that it appeals on a number of levels. It has the accessibility and rock 'n' roll attitude for you to simply rock to, but listen closely and you notice the intricacy of the music, and the highly thought-provoking lyrics.

To top it all off, the vocals of Cedric Bixler are amazing. He has a good singing voice, but it is his gravelly shout that really stands out.

'Relationship of Command' is everything a rock album should be - intellignet, inspirational, unafraid to experiment and, above all, hugely enjoyable.

A modern rock masterpiece
One of the great tragedies of this millenium so far, is that At the Drive in did not recieve more mainstream attention.
The band disbanded right before their big chance at pop recognition. At the Drive in, like Nirvana before them, could of exposed the world at large, to an antidote to the virus of corporate rock. But sadly, they didnt, oh well, thats the mainstreams loss, but the cult of At the Drive in's immeasurable gain.

This album is a plethora of genres,the ferocity of punk, the groove of dub reggae, the subtle atmospherics of trip hop and the
emotion of ...well..emo, stirred in a potuntil it forms something new and wonderful.The albums standout track, invalid litter department, is a glorius epic six minutes of eccentric lyrics, subtle aggression and some of the finest piano playing in the history of rock.

Relationship of command does not feature one filler track, every song, is brimming with emotion and has its own distinct identity.

The album is not flawless, at times Cedric Bixlers voice can be irritating, but that is only a minor glitch in an album, that deserves to be revered as a classic.

Its sad to think since At the Drive in called it a day, we've seen the rise of Puddle of mud and Nickelback, truly that is a shame