Once again, I failed to buy a new CD this Tuesday. Therefore, we once again must dig into the vault...

This week we have a CD that I bought a few weeks ago after I went to their show: Artificial Soldier by Front Line Assembly. This is a great release, with lots of energy and skillful production. It is also the first in quite some time to feature all the original band members: Bill Leeb, Rhys Fulbher, and Chris Peterson.

What makes this CD unique among recent industrial releases is that FLA eschews distorted and electronic drums for some very realistic, acoustic-sounding drums. In fact, the whole album is very drum-centric. FLA does not make frequent use of the four-on-floor beat commonly seen in industrial, opting for some very complex rhythms. Some songs seem to cross the line into drum 'n bass territory, especially "Buried Alive" which is obvious heavily influenced by DNB. FLA had renowned DNB artists DJ? Acucrack with them on tour, so I don't think it's off the mark to speculate that the pioneering group was trying their hand at a little industrial-DNB for this release.

The album starts off with "Unleashed," which sets the tone by introducing you to the pulsing bass synths, acoustic drum samples, and energetic rythyms used in the rest of the songs. It also sets the mood and theme, with Leeb's disgusted chorus of "To hell with humanity / the more I see / the less I believe." Leebs vocals are definitely augmented with effects, but he doesn't typically make use of the heavy distortion you often hear in contemporary industrial, making his voice fairly easy to understand. The lyrics are good, and compliment the music well. But except for the choruses, they are for the most part forgettable.

"Buried Alive" is my favorite off the album. It's the most DNB-sounding track, and it's suitably dark and ominous. "Future Fail" is great because it features vocals by Front 242's Jean-Luc De Meyer. Only two of the songs have guitar, "Dissention" and "Dopamine," and it doesn't dominate the songs. There aren't hardly any TV/Movie samples, which will no doubt please some fans of industrial (though I personally love samples). There's no filler on this album, and every song is well-crafted and distinct enough to keep the album interesting.

Definitely recommended listening.

And for your listening/viewing pleasure, here's a YouTube video of FLA performing the song "Buried Alive" at one of their recent concerts. Hmmm.... as I watch this I think it just might have been recorded at the concert gish and I went to in June. Leeb was wearing the same outfit, there were some shots from a balcony (which the State Theater has), and the stage setup looked the same. Sweet!