Athletic Automaton, A Journey Through Roman’s Empire

Athletic Automaton’s album A Journey Through Roman’s Empire starts like an angry car, gets into a bruising pace, and doesn’t shift from that gear. What partially deflects the bullying effect of the music is that it’s performed by two guys in jerseys, short-shorts, and striped tube socks who look like — and in fact actually once were — aspiring professional dodgeball players. This adds some amusement to the noise, an overpowering sound surprisingly produced by just two instruments.

Stephen Mattos plays the lead guitar and Patrick Crump provides percussion. Both share in the vocals. Based in Providence, Rhode Island, and working through the indie label SKiN GRAFT, they take the stage ready to provide relief for their favorite local dodgeball team. Or perhaps, at this stage, they’re seeking only to provide a soundtrack. I believe their athletic uniforms serve more of a functional role when the band is onstage, presenting a veneer of coherence with a clownish touch. It’s a visual that softens the walls of distortion and chaos. The music’s hard rhythms come at you with a drunken smash, defiling any silence. If you have a taste for noise rock, Athletic Automaton provide fulsome flavor.