Front Line Assembly – Echogenetic

Probably one of their best in the 2000's. Exo is their Worlock

This is one of Front Line Assembly’s best albums. Put it right up there with TNI and Hardwired. The vinyl sounds awesome. Much better than my cd copy!

I bought this vinyl a month ago. I must say that my version is flat, totally quiet and sounds for my ears better than the CD counterpart i own. More dynamic and the music seems to have more room to breathe. For me this is the favorit version to go.

FLA go back to a purely electronic sound and deliver one of their best albums since the days of "Epitaph" and "Implode". You will find a perfect alternation between fast 'n' furious anthems, melodic ages and atmospheric instrumental tracks, that is to say, what Bill Leeb and band do like no one else. Bought the double LP yesterday and played it this morning, sounds powerful and clear, very happy with it.

Probably the best album of F7A since their last one.
But of course it always is!

Shitty dubstep, just a compilation of sound effects for teenage masses.
There's some work here, all the filters, cut-off, distortions seem to be used in this demo but for what result ?
Does FLA makes music to promote computer plug-ins, what does this stuff mean ?
We are far far far away from Tactical Neural Implant...

Awful cut.
Just buy the CD version which sounds 10000x better!

This is about as middle of the road as you could hope for. The new bring their own influences, which has become the norm for FLA these last few years. Leeb just sounds tired and who can blame him? While Puppy wisely took a few years away from things and came back re-invigorated, Front Line just kept plodding along grinding them out. Echogenetic is the result, a by the numbers exercise in all things FLA. Despite the inclusion of new sounds and styles, Leeb just can't resist (ha!)his habit of "borrowing" from other artists quite blatantly. If you've heard the William Orbit mix of Captivate by Nitzer Ebb you'll have already caught him red-handed. Never mind the VNV appropriation.

If this were any other act, people would be screaming at these kinds of moves. But as this is Front Line, they somehow are excused. And why is this, you might ask? Because this band even in spite of having stand-ins front (sic) them at festivals possess a very loyal and quite vocal fan base who like battered housewives just keep coming back. Each year their numbers dwindle as this lot become more and more prone to latching onto safely proven genres. This isn't a bunch who take chances and what they ought to be quite proud of is buried under cynicism and a disturbing need to sound like others.

For as many times as I have played through Echogenetic, only a couple of songs jump out as being even remotely dangerous. If I wanted it safe and phoned in, I'd listen to pop music (which this album strays perilously close to at points) and not an institution like this capitulating to the whims of fads. You lot can pretty much do whatever you want and people will enjoy it, the universal appeal of albums like Gashed Senses and Crossfire, Caustic Grip and Tactical Neural Implant are proof of this. There's even a new generation of kids who swear by your earliest 80s albums and recognize in their aberrant nature how much talent this group have.

Front Line used to be about confrontation, individuality and a refusal to go quietly. Sadly, none of this comes through on their newest album. No, we're just given a slew of songs designed to distract through the use of high tech tricks and futuristic arrangements. As background music this is fine, just don't listen too closely.

Fattest album since Hard Wired. Had to wait 18 years for that. Everyone bitching about how "dubstep" it is go listen to former albums again. If You don't get it, well the myriad of Nitzer Ebb and DAF 80s clones and 90s Pouppee Fabrikk wannabees are the rigth thing for You. Please leave the real sound pioneers alone then.

So new FLA. It's a flawlessly and beautifully produced electronic opus I must say. And truthfully there are approximately 2 and one half tracks that are "dubsteppish". They never seem to go full on with the style though which can be a good or bad thing to some ears. After Airmech it wasn't a surprise and I really dug that record a lot. This album at times has such beauty that I recalled moments on FLAvour of the Weak, TNI and the supremely underrated Epitaph. Where FOTW had some trip-hop elements and fat beats and TNI had the sharp melodic bridges and Epitaph had the somber and almost ballad-like feel at moments you take most of these elements and then make it mercurial for todays advanced (or disadvantaged) ears..and bam...Echogenetic. It won't be for all fans ( I hear the groans already), but give it opportunity to warm at you. Think back to the beginnings and to now. I will argue Bill Leeb, that I miss the bridge melodies you make famous to our ears and we keep so familiar in our dark hearts. But the choruses, killer sweeping synths and gorgeous vocal stylings are enough to fill that void for me. Thanks for making an electronically driven record man...It got me excited AND FOR GOOD REASON!