"After countless rock and neo-industrial outfits attempted to one-up each other's levels of extremity over the years, Atomizer holds up extremely well" writes Andy Kellman of Allmusic, "It's not every day that one hears a song considering self-immolation as "just something to do" or another that tackles the case of an alleged parent-child molestation ring from the viewpoint of the offender. Instrumentally, Atomizer is a wailing behemoth of assaultive Roland beats, Steve Albini and Santiago Durango's clanging and whirring guitars, and new member Dave Riley's lumberjack bass." He describes the song "Kerosene" as "undeniably Big Black's brightest/bleakest moment, an epically roaming track that features an instantly memorable guitar intro, completely incapable of being accurately described by vocal imitation or physical gesture. It's also Albini at his most plainspoken and bleak: "Stare at the wall/Stare at each other and wait 'til we die." It's Big Black's "Light My Fire," literally." He concludes by calling it "as horrifying as the day it was recorded." Accolades In addition to the ones mentioned below, the album was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. Covers The song "Kerosene" has been covered by Kerbdog (as a b-side to their single "End of Green"), Pitchshifter (on the "enhanced" version of their album Deviant), Lamb of God (on their album Legion: XX, under their original name Burn the Priest) and St. Vincent (live at the Our Band Could Be Your Life 10th Anniversary Show at New York’s Bowery Ballroom on May 22, 2011. It was named by Consequence of Sound as one of her best covers.). Track listing Personnel Steve Albini - guitar, vocals, drum machine programming Santiago Durango - guitar Dave Riley - bass guitar Iain Burgess - recording engineer Big Black always credited Roland along with the band's members, though Roland is a brand of drum machine and not an actual person. See also Jordan, Minnesota sexual abuse scandal References Big Black albums 1986 debut albums Homestead Records albums Touch and Go Records albums Blast First albums