Front Line Assembly Wake Up the Coma Review

Front Line Associates
Category: Industrial / Electro
Album: Wake Up the Blackout
Blurb: Showing no signs of deterioration as the dystopian themes the band is known for are more than relevant than ever, Front Line Associates delivers one of its most engaging and diverse records yet.

For more than iii decades, Front Line Associates has risen to become a name nearly synonymous with the electro/industrial genre. Each album integrates new sounds and styles to maintain a constant evolutionary menstruation, all the while retaining the core thematic elements that have made the band a consistently satisfying and trailblazing entity. With Wake Up the Coma, the duo of Bill Leeb and Rhys Fulber have crafted, with the assistance of a regular contingent of collaborators and some notable invitee performers, one of FLA'due south well-nigh varied sonic offerings, providing a soundtrack to what was once the dystopian future of 2019.

Themes of sociopolitical unrest and technological upheaval remain at the forefront of the grouping's outlook, with introductory single "Eye On You" beginning the proceedings with a diatribe on authorities surveillance and the ensuing paranoia of its citizens; with the assistance of Robert Görl of legendary EBM and electropunk deed D.A.F., the track starts the anthology off with throbbing atonal sequences start by Leeb'south signature rasp, wisps of ambience giving the rails a cinematic grandeur in the uncomplicated yet striking chorus. From this track alone, the DNA of FLA'south by tin can be strongly detected, with afterwards tracks post-obit suit. For instance, "Tilt" enters with a buildup of slow breaks and punchy electronics, with both this and the celestial and trancelike arpeggios of "Negative Territory" topped off by Leeb's vocals harmonized past vocoders and string swells reminiscent of those heard on an anthology like Epitaph, while the thrusting dance floor beats and seething mechanical ferocity of "Living a Prevarication" would not be out of place on Hard Wired.

Of course, this is not to say that FLA is relying strictly on tried and truthful methods; on the contrary, all of these signatures are refined with modern production sensibilities to keep Wake Up the Coma planted firmly in the nowadays. One need wait no farther than the epic and enigmatic title runway for proof, as Paradise Lost vocalist Nick Holmes infuses his own melodic style into the song's already foreboding atmosphere, with his refrains of "Welcome to the edge of the world" proving 1 of the tape's catchiest moments, augmented past the sparse and crunchy stabs of Lange's guitar. The specter of Jeremy Inkel is felt on "Mesmerized" with its subtle glitch effects and vocal manipulations amidst an insistent dance beat, and on "Structures," whose synth hooks sparkle with the sheen of modern synthwave to result in what may exist one of FLA's finest tracks in this author's opinion – a glowing tribute to the innovative spirit of the band's fallen comrade. On the subject of synthwave and tributes, there is the cover of "Stone Me Amadeus" with Mindless Self Indulgence front end man Jimmy Urine channeling Falco perhaps a niggling too perfectly. Its placement on the album – specially as its third runway – seems dubious to this writer for while it'southward uncommonly well done, information technology does feel somewhat discrete from the balance of Wake Up the Blackout. On the other hand, Chris Connelly helps to bring the album to a dramatic shut equally he lends his distinctive croon to "Spitting Wind," his multilayered harmonies working in tandem with lushly resonant pads, entrancing pianos, Matt Lange'south steely acoustic guitar, and intricate drum programming.

With additional songwriting and instrumental contributions from regular associates like Jared Slingerland, Sasha Keevill, Craig Johnsen, Ian Pickering, and Jeff Swearengin, along with the guests that appear on this album, information technology makes sense that Wake Up the Coma turned out every bit various an album as Forepart Line Associates has e'er created. And yet, with all of the disparate sounds and styles that the band explores, FLA manages to retain a level of cohesion and consistency that could hands identify it alongside any past glories, and that is no small feat after 33 years.

Track list:

1. Eye On Yous
2. Arbeit
3. Rock Me Amadeus
4. Tilt
5. Hatevol
6. Proximity
7. Living a Lie
8. Wake Upwardly the Coma
9. Mesmerized
10. Negative Territory
11. Structures
12. Spitting Wind

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Source: https://regenmag.com/reviews/front-line-assembly-wake-up-the-coma/

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