Tactical Neural Implant

Front Line Assembly | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 28, 1992)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Roadrunner Records
• ASIN: B000007U3A
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #154,529 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The quintessential EBM record... period., April 16, 2001

By 

"suchman" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tactical Neural Implant (Audio CD)

Shame on Third Mind Records or whoever owns the rights to this for not making it readily available in the States...

This is the only EBM album you will ever need... everything else is simply derivative. FLA fans pretty much agree that this is the gem of the FLA backcatalogue. Moreover, I really believe that this is one of those records than any serious music fan should own... regardless if you are interested in EBM or FLA. Not having this record is kind of like not having albums like Sergent Peppers, Mezzanine, The Wall, The Doors, White Rabbit, or Run DMC... you know, those kinds of records that define genres or break them down.

Bill Leeb and Rhys Fulber may be more well-known for Delerium and Conjure One and maybe some of the new FLA stuff, but digging back into their history and you will stumble across this record. I invariably hated it on the first few listens... it seemed boring and monotonous. The problem is that when you listen more carefully, you will discover, as I have, the subtlety and brilliance underneath.

Leebs mechanized vocals (think battlestar galactica) are vocoded into the songs, rather than sung over the songs... making for a perfect blend of man and machine which so defines EBM. Steady mid-tempo beats tend to "lick" out of your speakers (you'll know when you hear it) rather than pound out. The basslines are a bit quirkier and less direct (except for Gun) than other, more aggressive FLA releases. The melodies tend to more of a retro-sci-fi kind of sound that will bring to mind some sort of soundtrack to Dune or Blade Runner.

Perhaps the record is a bit old for electronic music, running on 10 years now. But perhaps TNI is more relevant now after we have seen where electronic music has gone and continues to go, and how no one before or since has been able to recreate this kind of sound.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars necessary to understand industrial-EBM music, May 20, 2001

By 

D. M. MATALLIN "Origami" (Valencia, Spain) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tactical Neural Implant (Audio CD)

Tactical Neural Implant is necessary to understand the so-called EBM-industrial branch of music; After the quite good and promising 'Caustic Grip', in 1992 came one of the most important electronic cds of all times, in my opinion. If you know FLA, then you understand what are their strong points: excellent electronic basslines, distorted and deep voice, samples everywhere helping to conform a barrier of sound very muscular and dense. 'Tactical Neural Implant' is maybe, together with their penultimate effort 'Implode', the most ellegant example of FLA music. Here everything was more polished and accurate than in previous albums; the agressiveness is not absent, but the dirty sound of 'Caustic Grip' here disappears a bit. The choruses are catchier than ever, following the collection of impressive choruses begun in 'Caustic Grip'. No song here is bad or mediocre.
My review of the songs:
Final Impact (7/10): a strong beginning, with a monotonous voice but incredible bassline, somewhat anticipating later songs like 'Neologic Spasm'.

The Blade (8/10): a more minimalistic song, repetitive, with hip-hop beats and guitars, extremely robotically distorted voice, one of the favourite of the fans which I find much too repetitive but good.

Mindphaser (9/10): layers and layers of samples, impressive chorus, agressive voice, everything sounds more melodic here. One of the FLA highlights ever.

Remorse (10/10): this is one of the most melodic FLA songs ever. The voice is distorted but not in an agressive way, the chorus is very catchy and addictive; the song is not a prodigy of sound, but a prodigy of melody.

Bio-Mechanic (10/10): I love this one. Slower than the rest, addictive chorus with robotical voice, a lot of samples, less catchy perhaps at first listening. The live version in 'Live Wired' is amazing.

Outcast (8/10): again more techno influence, something like hip-hop rhythms, agressive voice, quotes of Skinny Puppy's 'Worlock', guitars, good chorus. A good song which seems even mediocre compared with the rest.

Gun (9/10): after an impressive intro which comes to an electronic climax, here comes the only song whose chorus is not cacthy but a very good song anyway. FLA at its most danceable.

Lifeline (9/10): As in Caustic Grip's 'Threshold', Leeb sings almost with his natural voice a ballad (well, a FLA-style, at least). FLA reminding us of Depeche Mode? well, this comes closer, and it's a perefct way to end an almost perfect album.

If you want to listen to Leeb and Fulber at their best, listen to this. TNI is not as raw as 'Caustic Grip', not as hard and metal as 'Millenium', not as overloaded with samples as 'Hard Wired', and it's the best FLA album only comparable, in my preference, with 'Implode'.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The good shines out..., June 9, 2005

By 

meh - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tactical Neural Implant (Audio CD)

Tactical Neural Implant(TNI) is a great album for its time. They manage to make a cohesive and engulfing synth/keyboard noises that are held together by hammering drums which have a somewhat dancy rhythm too, but the music is so complex and never repetitive enough to be considered dance music. Leeb's vocals are at one of their weaker points, but that fits albums style perfectly, as it is much more mechanical and less organic than any of their other albums, and his voice comes across as a grating vent-like rasp(some of the sounds he makes are almost as if someone poked a hole in his lung while he was singing and the air just rushed out in a wheeze). But when he has to he soars into lighter parts that make him one of the most enchanting vocalists I have ever heard(though he does get better at it on Hard Wired and Epitaph).

Overall one of their stronger efforts, though you can tell that they are somewhat held back by the technology available to them.(drum machine COUGH COUGH)