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Front Line Assembly > Total Terror II
Dossier DCD 9052 [Ger] (1993), CD 1994 Cleopatra CLEO 9411-2 [US]
Tracklist:
01 Assassination (5:55)
02 Intensive Care Unit (5:02)
03 Immobilized (4:08)
04 They're Going To Kill Us (5:50)
05 Stimulant Combat (6:08)
06 Hatred By Society (4:09)
07 Intruder (5:23)
08 Face Puller (7:01)
09 A.E.C. Krunch (6:20)
10 Cro-Magnon (6:15)
11 Guilty (2:22)
12 Attack Decay (3:58)
13 The Bonening (5:25)
Total Running Time: 68 min 25 sec
Official Demos 1986/87. Part II.
Credits:
All songs were remixed by Bill Leeb and Rhys Fulber at Gotham Studios.
MP Review
Released in conjunction with ‘Total Terror I’, which was the original ‘Total Terror’ demo Bill Leeb made directly after his first tape, ‘Nerve War’, ‘Total Terror II’ is a collection of previously unreleased tracks remixed and remastered in 1993. It was assumed that the tracks in this volume were from the same time period as Total Terror, given it’s name and the date range on the album itself which says 1986-87. Listening to the tracks compared to the first volume, however, one notices right away the difference in not only recording clarity, but in overall variation of sound. Whereas the first volume had more or less the same drum sounds in every track and a similar structure to most of the songs, this collection is far more varied, and not only in just BPM. That being the case, it’s obvious the tracks are leftovers from the ‘Initial Command’ and ‘State of Mind’ sessions that occurred after ‘Total Terror’ when Bill had access to better recording devices after meeting Michael Balch (and quite possibly then into 1988 as well). Everything is much more crisp and clean. Much less an album and more of a collection, ‘Total Terror II’ is still for fans only, but a lot more accessible than the previous volume (and even some tracks on the first albums) and not a bad place to start delving into older pre-notoriety FLA.
01 Assassination
A simple 4/4 beat, distant crashing sounds, and arpeggiated 3-note bassline start the disc off, along with very clear deep vocals from Bill that are perfectly understandable. Random slap bass hits, claps, and horror-movie styled chords appear here and there. No real chorus, but a simple string melody appears a few times as an anchor point. The effect on the re-mixing is readily apparent here, with many background elements that would have been jarring on the first volume being mixed in perfectly here, despite the age of the track. This is also the first of many songs on this collection that are puzzling in their exclusion from anything up until 1993, as it’s quite good and would’ve been a standout track on ‘The Initial Command’ or even ‘Corrosion’. A very dark, palpable atmosphere to this. Good choice for an opener.
02 Intensive Care Unit
Opening with a random jag of sampled laughter, the beat on this track starts right away, rock-style and sporting some of the weakest drum sounds I’ve personally ever heard. Really limp-wristed, and the low-end driving bassline doesn’t help much. A higher, more analogue bassline repeats over top, however, giving things a bit more substance. More clean & clear vocals from Bill, too, singing in a bit of a warble over everything that fits the track at least. Some metallic-sounding synths appear in the background, as well some shouting samples, and a high reverbed squeaking noise like an electronic bird flying around. This sounds like the fossilized ancestor of Noise Unit’s “Disease” or “Hate to Feel”. Not great, but I appreciate all the layers involved.
03 Immobilized
The best track on the album, hands down. A cool distorted, shrieking sound which could possibly be feedback starts, along with a monotonous acute bassline and dance beat from an obviously sampled bassdrum (with cymbals still stuck to the end of it). The feed back shifts to what sounds like a distorted horn blaring, then stops as chords and amplified vocals start. A distinct chorus this time appears periodically with an epic, moving string melody that gets stuck in your head. No way this track is from 1986, as if it was on either ‘Corrosion’ or ‘Disorder’ no one would’ve blinked, and in fact the track sounds like a fusion of styles from the bonus tracks on ‘Convergence’/’Corroded Disorder’ and the Noise Unit track “Falling”, which would root it firmly in 1988-89. Regardless of the year, it’s a superb track.
04 They’re Going to Kill Us
An instrumental in the vein of Delerium (before there was such a thing), thunder and rain samples open up along with some tribal chimes, deep churning rumbles, and a tinkling chord melody that fades in. A very ethnic, somewhat tropical feel to this one. Random snatches of percussion appear here and there, along with short ascending and descending melodies, loud sustained strings, and someone saying “they’re going to kill us!” at random intervals. The tribal feel of the track makes me think of it as “On the Cross”’ less creepy younger brother. Leeb’s not known for naming songs after samples, so methinks he couldn’t find a name for this track when compiling the tapes for this release.
05 Stimulant Combat
Back to more familiar FLA territory. A steady 4/4 beat starts off with lots of random samples, noises, and percussive elements added on. Then a constant, rapid bassline fires off with shorter synthlines, chords, and pads laced on top. Spoken word-type vocals pan from ear to ear. Mid-track the synths stop and we get a bit of a noise/beat collage, before starting everything back up again. This track is definitely a pre-cursor to more structured material to come, and the Robocop samples indicate the track is late 1987 at the earliest, although probably later than that. Lots of stuff going on within this track, a great old school demo.
06 Hatred by Society
A low drone and militaristic percussion in the vein of Adrian Sherwood’s Tackhead/early Ministry (could have very well been sampled from there) open this instrumental up, along with a thick bassline that accompanies the beat. Machine gun samples, orchestral hits, minimal chord sequences, and a sample that gives the track its name are all present. A pretty linear track, it builds and builds from the start, dark & martial for about 4 minutes before ending. A simple, industrial-ambient track.
07 Intruder
Opens up with a mid-paced 4/4 beat right away and a rather infamous sample of someone either saying “Constitution” or “prostitution” of the United States. The beat is reminiscent of early Skinny Puppy (obviously) with 808 sounds abounding, with an arpeggiated bassline & chord sequence. Somber strings shift the melody up and down as the track progresses, with Leeb’s vocals echoing distantly in the background. You can’t make them out, but they’re there. As with the rest of this album, a simple track but it’s clear and catchy. This one also fades out at the end for a change.
08 Face Puller
Another Delerium-type before there was such a thing, more 808 percussion (gotta love those little electric bongo sounds) and high, reverbed crashing samples open the track up before a distinctly organic, almost guitar-like tapping bassline comes in. It could very well be live bass or guitar, actually. This works alongside a more synthetic staccato bassline for a while until low, dark cello-strings start up. These paired with some fast minimal synth sequences give the track a very cinematic feel. There are vocals, but again they’re too low and echoed in the mix to make out. Very ethnic, the title makes me think of a medieval torture device and the mood fits. Another album highlight.
10 A.E.C. Krunch
Interesting instrumental track, as the percussion sounds like the ‘State of Mind’ era, whereas the synths and melodies are much fuller and the track itself is more rounded out than what appears on that album. Booming drums and a fat bass snyth bounce off each other along with panning samples, effects, and shimmery pads. Liberal use of cymbal crashing here, too. Sampled Gregorian monk-chanting a la Delerium featured here as well in the background, for some reason. The title seems to refer to the Atomic Energy Commission, to the best of my knowledge. A multi-faceted collage of sorts, there’s a lot of layering going on with the drums, and lots of short synth sequences popping in and out. Noticeable tape-hiss throughout the track, too.
11 Cro-Magnon
My least favorite track on the album, and one for the entire FLA collection, for me at least. Jackhammer percussion immediately starts up, with a big loud metallic bassline to go with it. Unequivocally a ‘State of Mind’ outtake, however, as the track fits right into that album. The title is rather fitting as well, as it’s probably the oldest cut on this compilation, given that. The track pounds away unrelentingly, with a Tackhead-like quasi-hip hop vibe, and a chorus of sorts that’s actually quite nice with it’s high chord sequence. The drums, tinny echo, and overall LOUDNESS of the track just don’t let up, however, and it never fails to give me a headache not halfway through. Clear vocals come in from time to time, along with strings. Nice if you can take the relentless pounding.
12 Guilty
An interesting little track. It’s mostly just a low drone, and atmospheric ethereal strings and ambient samples, again a la Delerium, or even Synaesthesia’s ‘Desideratum’ album. The most significant part of this track is the distorted sample of an interviewer talking to Charles Manson that runs through the majority of the track. A nice segue, or break of sorts from the previous hammering, but it appears the track has been heavily edited as a very structured bassline starts up right at the end of the track, and you can just make out a reverbed beat start too before the song fades to black. It sounded pretty interesting, as well, so if it was cut out of embarrassment I don’t really see why. But then maybe the recording was damaged and that was all that could’ve been saved…who knows?
13 Attack Decay
Last instrumental of the album, this one being almost purely 80’s synthpop, and quite rigid in structure. A marching beat and bassline carries the track, starting and stopping with light whispy strings, tinkly chords, and odd warping samples. Not terribly far off from New Order or The Human League, this is the least industrial track of the collection, even surpassing the ambient ones! Much lighter and more bouncy than a title like that would seem to indicate, although the strings give it a more serious air at times. A nice little instrumental dance track.
14 The Bonening
Either that’s a trademark FLA spelling mistake, or an attempt to avoid some unintentional hilarity (which doesn’t work I’m afraid), an odd title for a pretty intense sonic trip. Flanged, distorted agonized vocals pan about with a disjointed slightly percussive rhythm and lots of tortured echoing noises, roars, steam-blasts and pitched choral strings. I actually used this track in high school to illustrate a project about Dante’s Inferno! A very distinct ominous feeling permeates everything along with the shards of harsh noise, like the soundtrack from Hell. Ambient, but definitely FLA, a nice closer that’s placed well.
While it doesn’t have the historical weight of Total Terror I, being FLA’s 2nd demo tape ever, this collection is nonetheless better, more accessible, and much cleaner in sound than the previous one. It’s still no place for an FLA novice to start, but if you’re already tuned in to the classic tinny sound of late 80’s electro, or just old FLA in general, then there’s a lot to like on this volume. And, given the clarity we’ve been given in the recent years about these early formulative years of the band, it’s fun for collectors to try and place when each track could have been created.
Review by Douglas Sudia (Recoil)
Review
The second Total Terror disc, which dates from slightly later, sees Leeb settling into something that's more easily connected to the current FLA sound. It also, unlike the first disc, consists entirely of material that has never been bootlegged.
"Assassination" is a fairly typical piece of early FLA, with the distinctive repetitive beat, chittery synths, Leeb's vocals sounding slightly like a hoarse Stephen Mallinder in places, and so forth. "Intensive Care Unit" is in similar vein - straightforward beat, "percussive synths" - but makes use of a wide variety of interesting samples. And so on. FLA fans will be quite familiar with the ingredients and many of the tracks here ably demonstrate Leeb's ability to combine a relentless EBM beat with surprisingly attractive melodic synth work.
The material on this disc is perhaps a little more homogenous than on the first disc, with almost all the tracks falling firmly into Front Line Assembly territory, rather than that of Delerium or Noise Unit. The only exceptions to this that I can think of are the noisy, percussive "The Bonening" and "Guilty", dark ambience with a tape over the top that, rather frustratingly, sounds like it's about to turn into something considerably more interesting just before it fades out. "Attack Decay" is less off-beat but is pleasant nonetheless - lightweight, instrumental FLA, for want of a better description.
As with the first disc, this is definitely one for the FLA fan rather than the merely curious. The material is fairly close in feel to that on The Initial Command or State Of Mind, the more recent dance influences that feature on the likes of Tactical Neural Implant having yet to emerge. If you like either of the first two FLA albums, though, you'll probably find these two discs well worth a listen. Some of the equipment used may be rather primitive but it doesn't really spoil the enjoyment at all. Some of this might be due to the fact that all the material on both discs was remixed for release by Bill and Rhys - I've got mixed feelings about this. It may well have improved the overall sound, but it does mean that the material is no longer in its original form and that, since the remixing has been done by Bill and Leeb in 1993, it's likely that the way they've remixed it has been coloured by their recent sound. It'd be interesting to compare these releases with one of the bootlegs taken straight from the original tape version. Definitely one for FLA fans to look out for, though.
Erland Rating: +2 (again, for fans only)
© Al Crawford 1993. All rights reserved.
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Last updated 2009-11-28 16:49:33 by: recoil.
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