Front Line Assembly Plasticity Review

(Sorry some cover links keep going dead).

Artist: Front Line Assembly

Single: Plasticity.

Genre: Electro-Industrial, Electronic Body Music, Techno, Electronica, Industrial Metal.

Label: Offbeat/Metropolis

Released: 1996

Tracklist:

1. Plasticity.
2. Replicant
3. Plasticity (' Zero' Remix By Haujobb).

Front Line was on top with this single. Hard Wired was a return to a more synth based sound but still kept the chord Electronica heavy style of Tactical Nerual Implant with the Guitars and heavy drums of their more mainstream breakthrough Millennium. Not to mention their Side projects Intermix and Deleruim (which found chart success in Canada with their new Deep Forest/Enigma inspired direction) which showed Leeb and Fulber experimenting with other Electronic music genres which they then inputted these styles back into Front Line varying their sound significantly.

This single was also marked the exit of Rhys Fulber from FLA (He would return for Civilization) who left to work on Remixing, Producing and solo work but continued to work on Delerium's follow up to Sematic Spaces, Karma which he then left Delerium for awhile.

Plasticity is a Electronic/Techno dance heavy track that incorporates hard Industrial drums, complex phasing flanged percussive loops and a throbbing EBM style bassline (sounds like a Oberhiem Xpander).

I love how complex the rhythms our on this tracks especially on the drums a style that Bill Leeb would continue on FLAvour Of The Weak, Implode and Epitaph. The Phased/Flanged rhythm give the track a manic energy. Leeb's vocals are really aggressive and warped sounding in. The chorus has a big arp sequence where Leeb's vocals come out really big, deep and thunderous.

The samples are mostly from the movie Timecop starring Jean-Claude Van Damme they even sampled a scream from Barcode off Hard Wired. The samples really help set the futuristic tone and atmosphere of the track.

Plasticity Promo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvoZPfMcrak

The B-side Replicant starts off with minimal synth FX's and a sample of a man in pain from the movie Cronos then this complex modulated lead comes in (sounds like a Nord but could be an old analogue) followed by some really hard industrial drums then a pounding hard 4/4 rhythm which quickly switches to a more Industrial Metal rhythm. Leeb's vocals come in deep, heavy and raspy with twisted Metal guitar riffs and Rhys's atmospheric pad/strings Chords. This track would fit would well on Hard Wired or Millennium.

Cool Replicant Fan Made Music Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlxutM6UULk

The final track on the single is remix by Haujobb. Daniel Meyer and Co give the track a more atmospheric intro with complex IDM/Techno inspired rhythms including Breakbeats. Very Electronica. The synths are complex, modulated and acid sounding. Even the vocals are phased, filtered and modulated. I like it, its different and the chorus is really unusual.

Haujobb Remix: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-25_aaYWq4

I not sure what I will review next maybe Delerium's Sematic Spaces (Some people hate it but I really like it) I then might review an old Platipus records Vol. 2 Compilation.