10 Best Hard Rock Songs Of The 2000's
6. One Armed Scissor - At The Drive In
Coming out of Southern California, At the Drive In decided to play music that was unlike anything anyone had ever heard. Once the band hit upon their masterwork Relationship of Command, they had come out with a sound that was both chaotic and controlled at the same time.
As the opening guitars of "One Armed Scissor" hit you like a battering ram, the song is off on its warped journey, as it veers from delicately picked guitars to punk thrashabouts at a moment's notice. From the mastermind of guitarist Omar Rodriguez Lopez, the song maintains a coherent theme while always teetering just on the edge of sanity. The rest of the band are certainly are no slouches either, with Jim Ward provided scathing backing vocals and giving a much greater sonic presence to the guitar attack.
The real fire of the track comes from Cedric Bixler-Zavala, whose impressive high register leaves this listener feeling like they've been transported into a sonic minefield as he reaches for his screams. With the band at their wit's end, "One Armed Scissor" is the sound of rock and roll at its most chaotic conclusion. Long live the music from the originators of post-hardcore.