|
|
Front Line Assembly > Hard Wired
Cover artwork / Signed cover artwork / HW Promo CD Cover
CD 1995 Off Beat SPV 086-22290 | CD 1995 Energy ERCD 086 | CD 1995 Metropolis Records MET 015 || 2CD 1995 Off Beat SPV 085-22292 | 2CD 1995 Energy ERCD 086x|
Tracklist:
01. Neologic Spasm (5:51)
02. Paralyzed (5:30)
03. Re-Birth (5:19)
04. Circuitry (5:55)
05. Mortal (5:42)
06. Modus Operandi (5:47)
07. Transparent Species (7:15)
08. Barcode (6:11)
09. Condemned (5:51)
10. Infra Red Combat (8:49)
Credits:
Electronic Execution: Bill Leeb & Rhys Fulber. Engineered and Mixed by Greg Reely. Assistant Engineer: Delwyn Brooks. Guitars by Devin Townsend. All songs Written by Bill Leeb and Rhys Fulber. Tracks programmed at Cryogenic. Recorded and mixed at the Warehouse. Design, illustration & photography by Dave McKean at Hourglass.
FRONT LINE ASSEMBLY respect to Dwayne Rudolph Goettel.
May his soul rest in peace eternaly.
Review
01 Neologic Spasm
a great song for introducing this album. It's a hard, driving EBM song in pure FLA fashion, No guitar at all, only hard electronic sounding with a heavily modified vocal. Very memorable track.
02 Paralyzed
Like the first one, it's a driving EBM song, but much harder than usual. Hard to describe though, just imagine everything harder, rhythms, sounds, and vocal distorsion that is almost terrifying, especially in the chorus. Very good stuff.
03 Re-Birth
Starts with a great intro, then becoming a typical EBM-FLA track (with some guitar) that gives not bad results.
04 Circuitry
this is the first single to come out of this release. It is a very dense sonic assault featuring some rythmic guitar and a catchy chorus "a la Millenium". Vocals also follows the Millenium fashion.
05 Mortal
I can't say much more than it is another great instrumental track as impressive as "Sex Offender" was, but different.
06 Modus Operandi
this one starts with typical ambient intro, followed by a strange percolating sound,which becomes a very unique slow, abrasive, noisy song where Leebs voice is amazingly deformed, being some kind of distorted "whistle-shouting" unique to Leeb that is between dementia and agony. Rythmic guitars are used along tons of sounds are effects, dark percolating melodies, and a catchy slow chorus melody supporting Leeb's shoutings, making all together a result that is really far apart from usual FLA stuff. very creative, very disturbing.
07 Transparent Species
yet another creative intro followed by a very good driving song. Vocals remind me those on "Transtime" (Millenium B-side). There is a little bit of guitar, a Milleniumesque chorus and a notcieable good bridge passage in the middle of the track.
08 Barcode
Like others, it begins with an impressive ambient intro lasting more than one minute that slowly give its place to a suite of danceable beats and some "Phaze-Two"-like synth usage. Add to this a vocoder style voice, then insert a very catchy chorus (composed of a simple guitar melody) and Fulbers typical slow backing melody and you get "Barcode"...
09 Condemned
this is the only song that is really in the style of Millenium stuff: metal guitar samples with typcial singing, beats and feeling. Balance between guitar and electronic and samples is better than on previous Millenium stuff.
10 Infra Red Combat
another very high point of the album. It is a long, two-phase song that begins witha 4-minute-long, Deleriumesque intro, not far from "Spheres II" style, constructed with electronic noises, some Aphex Twin sound bites and many other samples, slow beat, typical little synth melody, all in a relaxed and spacy way... This masterpiece then gently transforms in a more melodic kind of "ballad" that reminds me of "Lifeline" (on Tactical Neural Implant), but softer and somehow darker and heavier,where Leebs voice is not distorted, and he's singing "for real", particulary in the chorus which is very melodic. This one is very creative. It contrast strongly with all other songs of the album, ending it in a brilliant way...
Review by Bernard bastien
Review from Melody Maker at time of release. (Exact publication date unknown.)
FRONT LINE ASSEMBLY
HARD WIRED
Front Line Assembly... ...with their last album, "Millennium", went for the easy bucks, forsaking their deeply affecting cyber-goth atmospherics for chug-a-long metal pyrotechnics. It was a cheap shot and thankfully unsuccessful (missed! doh!) as "Hard Wired" constitutes an enforced return to form. This time, though, they embrace Euro-techno (Why not? They invented it-ish), their electro-riffs continuously convoluting over echoing footsteps, close-up shrieks and distant detonations. Guitars are present but minimised, used to the full, the overall effect being one of extremely pleasurable panic... [This] album demand[s] your immediate attention.
Looks like summer's really over.
THE STUD BROTHERS
Back to the top of the page...
Old news items regarding this page:
Last updated 2006-11-03 21:40:29 by: Bahn™.
|
|
|
|
