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 Like to drink beer? Like to rock? Quit yer bellyaching and procure this. You can trust me, little boy. Sep 10, 2009
"Blah blah, I like band X!" "Sweet deal! So do I! Blah blah. They're awesome and your awesome and this is awesome! Yayyyyy!" Alright, none of that. I'm writing this as a pitch on behalf of underpaid musicians who I think deserve support from people who would support them if they only knew the potential thrill that sits waiting. I have an extensive and diverse music collection and I like listening to music so much that I hardly ever listen to music (if I can't give the music my undivided attention, its not worth my time). I own few albums that I would say I like as a whole and I rarely appreciate an album the first time through.
This is an exception to the rule. How on earth does an album this good get so little acclaim and exposure? Answer: its just that good. My honest but ultimately insufficient description for this album follows: Bluesy, melodic, free-spirited, heavy, passionate, stoned-out and cocked-sideways hard rock. Emotions ranging from beligerence and fury to brooding solemnity and austerity (avoiding nihilism) to whatever it is you'd call the impulse to tip a bottle of backyard hooch all alone in the middle of the woods in an unfamiliar place only because you can or because you don't know how you got there. Admittedly, that makes no sense at all. Sorry. Damnit, I'll never succeed. Anyways, these guys are very in sync with eachother. There is a true "meeting of the minds" on this legendary piece of work. There is a tasteful display of depth in the songwriting that is either liberated, unhinged, and completely natural, or the converse: well-thought and meticulously calculated. Either way, they're guiding principle seems to be: do whatever works; meaning: do whatever we think sounds great and what we feel proud to put our name on, and anything else is unacceptable. That is the integrity behind this musical unit.
As much as I loath cliches, I must admonish you: play this album very loud (optimally while inebriated, but sober is still nothing short of exhilirating) or don't play it at all. The passion and deep focus is unbelievably consistent; they never give up their excitement and interest in what they create here. This is the apex of a jam session in that it isn't repetative and predictable but it manages to preserve the character of technical proficiency and cohesion. These guys know their instruments better than their women, but their musical knowledge is applied with restraint and finesse (referring back to that principle: do whatever sounds good). You can tell these guys were having the time of their lives while writing and recording this album. The music sometimes even ascends to the "epic" quality. Don't expect anything drawn out grandiose like Tool though. This is semi-sludge, gritty,snot-nose rock.
Alas, no description serves to do it justice. There is simply no worthy description for music this uncompromising and yet open-minded and creative (in approach), music this good. Maybe thats all I needed to say in the first place. Maybe this steers you right. Maybe I failed. OK,enjoy. (or don't) Cheers! (as I take a drink from my bottle of evian).
0 of 2 found the following review helpful:
 Frustratingly Average Release From A Great Band Apr 28, 2007
I was disappointed with this album. Compared to other ATP releases (for those new to the band - they play an excellent, if not slightly derived, breed of `down-south' stoner rock) it seemed a little bland and uninspired. Perhaps this is due to the messy break-up of recording parts with the now defunct Man's Ruin label, or perhaps due to line-up differences. Whatever reasons, "Staring At The Divine" isn't quite the monster I was expecting.
To be quite blunt the album takes too long to get going. This is not to say the opening tracks are bad - they just don't grab me. Firstly, Billy Anderson took charge of production, which is usually a good thing (for those unaware, Anderson is THE stoner/doom producer these days), but I'm surprisingly disappointed to say that his work on this one is sub-par. The sound is just lacking for such a band, with many of the guitar licks not hitting home due to the lack of tone, and the drums are just completely lost. This means that songs such as "Ol Unfaithful" and "Motor-Ready" just become very loud hazes, with a real lack of dynamics.
The album does improve though, thankfully. "Hunting By Echo" is the first song that I really enjoy, and the first time the band use dynamics properly - by complementing a catchy chorus hook with some quieter and subdued licks. Similarly "Twilight Arrival" uses a brooding verse, which slowly grooves and builds into a powerful chorus. The paramount song on the album is "Esteem Fiend", which sports the best vocals and the best riffs (particularly the huge closing riff). This song is why I bought the album, and pains me to think they couldn't repeat this excellence.
The album does improve towards the end, and the last half certainly spawns some memorable moments. But the lack of these moments and the annoyingly standard production means I cannot give this more than an average 3 star rating. Disappointing for one of the best bands in the stoner rock scene.
 Staring at the Divine Feb 16, 2007
Hell, I just like staring at the album cover.
If you're a fan of bands like Down, Kyuss, Clutch, Sixty Watt Shaman, Corrosion of Conformity, and just good ol' stoner rock in general, then you'll appreciate the music on this album. While ATP doesn't sound like any other band I've heard, they've got close similarities to Sixty Watt Shaman in which the vocals are growly and just plain loud throughout the album. No high pitched wails, just rebel yells and then some. If you care about lyrics, then you'll find that ATP is a thinking man's band as well. Nothing is too positive and nothing is too dark. The guitarwork is in your face heavy and never lets up. If you like fast heavy riffs and a quicker pace to your music, you'll love these guys. This is just simply your backyard boozed up rock & roll band with influences stemming from the good ol' boys of Southern Rock from the 70's and 80's. They've had a couple of different lead singers, but the sound has always remained. That's always good.
1 of 2 found the following review helpful:
This will definitely grow on you Sep 14, 2006
Another great 70's rock revival band. Crunch rock with a southern rock slant that really doesn't sound like anybody else out there. Sort of similar to Fu Manchu and Nebula but not quite. They really have their own style that differentiates themselves from the afformentioned bands and each song is unique with its own musicality that adds to the replayablility. If you can't get enough of the 70's rock revival, like me, then this disc should be in your collection.
1 of 4 found the following review helpful:
Good heavy music for the South Aug 09, 2004
This is the first ATP cd I got my hands on, and it blew me away. Great music with an awsome voice to match. There arn't any lyrics in the cd booklet, but after a few listens you can understand them. This is a great piece of southern drug and alcohol friendly cd, and would recomend it to anyone who likes havin a good time.
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