Hanin Elias is still a member of the Berlin punktronica quartet Atari Teenage Riot, but on her first solo album, In Flames, she's started a riot of her own. She released the 17-track album on her new for-women-only label, Fatal - which spurred from her frustrations with the "hardcore boy nonsense" going on at ATR's label, Digital Hardcore. Like ATR, her messages are still grounded on aggressive anarchist beliefs, and the sound isn't too far off, either - loud vocals, jungle-influenced beats and dark echoes. The difference between ATR and her solo work, though, is that Elias asserts her riot-woman power, and she's probably the most riotous woman in rock to do so right now.
In Flames is an in-your-face collection of militant messages about overthrowing capitalism, men in the wrong and how there's no way in hell anyone's going to mess with her. The majority of album has Elias yelling her vocals -- sometimes she even screeches at the top of her lungs -- but every now and then, she slows down her spoken-sung verses to a trance-like repertoire. "Under Pressure" is the standout dance track and the most catchy. Backed by dope beats, she chants, "Your face is deep under pressure." She goes on to explain the story: "How can you live your life like this? Without knowing what life really is? You're working in a bank or sometimes in a store. Yeah, you like your job."
© Amy Schroeder /TiVo