Front Line Assembly Albums (20)
What The Critics Say
Originally announced as an EP, Front Line Assembly's Fallout arrived as an album featuring three new tracks and nine remixes. Minus the club highlight "Armageddon," everything comes off or was left off the very good Artificial Soldier album, making this an instantly desirable release for hardcore fans and one of the better odds and ends collections in FLA's catalog, and there are plenty. Combichrist aim their mix at the club, Sebastian R. Komor (Icon of Coil) makes "Unleashed" sound absolutely epic, while DJ? Acucrack offers a drum'n'bass mix with changing, morphing rhythms. The most difficult and rewarding remix come from the legendary Portion Control who strip the pounding beat from "Lowlife" and create something much more creepy and sinister. The dreamy new track "Electric Dreams" might be too precious for the more cynical FLA fans but that shouldn't keep them from considering this satisfying fringe release. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide
'Artificial Soldier'
Release Date 1/1/2006
Tracks 10
Label Metropolis
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
With 2004's Civilization, the reunited Front Line Assembly -- as in longtime member Rhys Fulber returned -- sounded anxious to get back to their gritty electro-industrial roots, but cautious and too willing to rely on the serene sound of their successful side project Delerium. While Delerium's attention to detail is here, none of the preciousness is, and this ferocious album seems all the less schizophrenic because of it. Strategically, 2006's Artificial Soldier is right in line with their great 1992 album Tactical Neural Implant while musically it's a much more elaborate effort with layers of synths, stabs from guitars, and eerie landscapes that stretch as far as the ear can hear. Key track "Buried Alive" aggressively puts this all together while adding a bit of techno act Prodigy's aggressive drive into the mix. Vocalists Eskil Simonsson (from Covenant) and Jean-Luc de Meyer from (Front 242) make guest appearances, offering relief from member Bill Leeb's urgent delivery and apocalyptic lyrics, which aren't nearly as inspired as the music. If Leeb's words are formulaic, it won't matter much to fans craving a return to form. Artificial Soldier is a return to form monster of an album that will pound the band back into the electro-industrial lover's heart. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide
'Complete Total Terror'
Release Date 1/27/2004
Tracks 27
Label Cleopatra
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
A collection of home studio recordings from the time when Bill Leeb was Front Line Assembly in total, Complete Total Terror collects both Total Terror releases, making the group's early demos easily obtainable and providing a redundant title that Leslie Nielsen could appreciate. Leeb had purpose from the start, and there's very little here that could be considered noodling. Synths and the recording equipment might have been primitive, but Leeb skillfully used them to construct cinematic and layered pieces, equally concerned with structure and melody. Things are dark, but there's less dissonance than expected. The influence of Front 242 and SPK around the time of Auto DaFe can be heard, but pre-Micro-Phonies Cabaret Voltaire were obviously an obsession for Leeb, especially Stephen Mallinder's buried-growl vocals and the long bits of sampled dialogue. Rhys Fulber -- not yet a full-time member at the time of these recordings -- does some guest spots, but the liner notes don't bother to point out where they are. Even better is that the spine reads "Complete Total Chaos," another blunder from the never reliable Cleopatra label. Luckily, the label doesn't mess with the music, which Leeb and Fulber have remastered into a clear-sounding mix. At over two hours long it's a bit much for newcomers, but fans should ignore Cleopatra's shoddy packaging and enjoy this tour through the band's origins. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Front Line Assembly's last album, Epitaph, received decent reviews in the press, but it split the fan base. Some felt it was merely the continued development of the band, some felt it was limp and incorporated too much of Delirium's sound (the band's successful off-shoot). With original member Rhys Fulber coming back to the group, the stage is set for a return to form. Civilization returns to the band's classic sound here and there, but it just as often turns to Delirium-style ambiance and neo-classicism. After making a grand entrance with two tracks of gritty industrial-dance, Civilization switches to the rather dreamy "Transmitter," a track with vocoders, violins, and angel's voices. It's what fans like to call "Delirium Line Assembly", but that's over-judging and ignoring the band's maturation. Few other bands in the electro-industrial world have the talent to convincingly bounce between the sweet and gritty like Front Line Assembly do, but it does take a while for the listener to adjust to the roller coaster of tempos and emotions on the album. But is it worth it? Considering the lack of serious competition, and that "Fragmented," "Transmitter," and the title track are fantastic, it just might be. Fulber has been gone for a while, and Civilization could be the result of him and Leeb getting reacquainted. It makes for a schizophrenic album with some underdeveloped ideas, but it does lay the groundwork all over again. Fans can hope for something more even-keeled next time. As it is, Civilization starts off as a disappointment, grows on you a little, and ends up an average Front Line Assembly album. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
For some Front Line Assembly fans, Implode marked a downturn in the band's musical creativity and energy. Epitaph may sound like the title of an album that completed this descent. Instead, Epitaph marks a return to former strength for the classic electro-industrial act. All the contemporary Front Line Assembly trademarks are here: guitar bites, Leeb's vocoded apocalyptic wisdoms, and solid electronic architectures that do not pander to dancefloors, but are still packed with a relentless energy. This is a strong release, reminiscent of Hard Wired or the best moments of Flavour of the Weak. Front Line Assembly still has a well-established sound (despite Rhys Fulber's departure and Peterson's arrival prior to Flavour of the Weak), but Epitaph shows that a well-re-established sound does not mean the sound cannot evolve. Beats have grown more complex, often breaking. A few tracks, such as the title track, "Epitaph," or the epic "Existence," have taken on more ethereal qualities. Some tracks, such as "Dead Planet," are classic Front Line Assembly hard electro on a pounding beat. This release is the work Front Line Assembly is known for, without being just another Front Line Assembly album. No Front Line Assembly collection would be complete without Epitaph. The new duo has proved that they still wield the power of one of the longest-lived electro styles to great effect. ~ Theo Kavadias, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
While 1994's Millennium showed what raging guitars and a metal slant could do to Front Line Assembly's heavy industrial sound, Implode adds an advanced concentration of electronics and drum'n'bass rhythms. Songs like "Retribution" and the single "Prophecy" are just as dark and storming as previous FLA material, but with a crucial update to the production. ~ Keith Farley, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Similar to the 1997 release Reclamation, Monument is essentially a best-of compilation, with several previously unavailable remixes included. With selections taken solely from their 1989-1993 period (what many fans feel was their peak), all of the tracks on Monument have been edited together by band producer/co-collaborator Greg Reely. Proving to be a worthy companion to Reclamation, the album shows once and for all why many put Front Line Assembly in the same class as other influential electro bands from the same era (Ministry, NIN, Meat Beat Manifesto, etc.). The same harsh vocals and repetitive electronic percussion that Front Line Assembly used extensively in the early '90s have been inherited by such present-day bands as Fear Factory and Stabbing Westward -- "Big Money (remix)," "Mental Distortion," "Virus (Cauterized Mix)," and "Laughing Pain" are all prime examples. Containing over 73 minutes of music, Monument is another fine compilation of Front Line Assembly. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Re-Wind is a two-disc set of remixed material originally featured on the Flavour of the Weak album; the more aggressive first disc belongs entirely to Bill Leeb, while the second features contributions from Front 242, Collide, Tim Schuldt, Kalte Farben, Eat Static, Cydonia, and Fini Tribe. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide
