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Front Line Assembly
Flavour of the Weak
Metropolis
This follow up to the 1995 Hard Wired album is a more melodic direction from prior material. With it, FLA proves once again that they can chameleon their sound quite successfully. Constantly changing beat structures and loop arrangements, lace Flavour of the Weak. Yet, the sum of the tracks does not degrade the entire album experience. Harder beats with more melodic structure undertone span the tracks – each carrying its weight until the next takes over. The sampling arrangements provide a different perspective to what some might deem a hard trance album at first listen. One thing is obvious with Flavour of the Weak – it intentionally lacks the overlay of sampled and live guitars that made its predecessor so popular with the hardcore industrial scene. This album is more of a pure electronic arrangement. Bill Leeb, the founding member, whose vocals are boldly apparent on prior Front Line Assembly releases are kept to a confined minimum. As well, Chris Peterson’s programming shines through on the album. Although Chris is not new to FLA, it is his first Front Line Assembly release behind the production controls after the departure of long time band member Rhys Fulber. Don’t expect your cookie cutter industrial music on Flavour of the Weak. Instead, listen for apex and downbeat song structures, which are abundant, flavored with drawn out drum rolls and quick breaks. Kind of a drum and bass meets sample laced hard trance offering for the masses. Metropolis Records, P.O. Box 54307, Philadelphia, PA 19105; http://www.metropolis-records.com
