Customer Reviews

Tyranny for You

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Way back when I was in high school I was heavily into hip-hop of various stripes and colors. Then, at one cast party someone threw in "Tragedy For You", and it hit me like a freight train. The dark vocals, the agressive synths, the heavy percussion, it just ate it's way into my brain and refused to leave. I tried to go back and listen to my Pete Rock and CL Smooth or Public Enemy, but no matter how hard I tried I couldn't get the Front 242 sound out of my head. It was the perfect soundtrack to every dystopian cyber-future fantasy that ran through my high-school geek mind.

And thus began my baby steps into the world into Electro / EBM, which soon turned into a mad dash of sorts. But F242 started it all. I ended up picking up all of their albums, but Tyranny For You still holds a special place for me. I don't want to call it their 'peak' album, but as another reviewer said, it serves as a wonderful capstone to one 'stage' of F242 (with the next beginning with the Up Evil and Evil Off discs). It's not the most dancefloor-friendly disc by any means, but it has a great sense of forward motion and urgency to most of the tracks (although a few insturmentals suffer near the end).

Nowadays, the keyboards sound a bit dated, the programming not as complex, so if you are just getting into Electro / EBM this might not be the best 'starter' album. Even among Front 242 discs, their Re:Boot live disc is probably the best introduction to their material. But this CD *definetly* belongs in your collection if youre a fan of techno-industrial, EBM, or Electro. It's one of the few CDs from that era I still play with decent frequency, and still holds up well next to works by VNV Nation, Covenant, Velvet Acid Christ and the like.

Front 242's 1991 release "Tyranny For You" is that most precious of gems: the album you must have and can never get rid of. Though some fans of Industrial music and Front 242 in particular do not rank it at the top of the list, for me this album is a monument. Every track is carefully crafted and Jean-Luc DeMeyer's lyrical talents and deep Belgian voice are coming into their prime. This is the CD that one can put in his or her single disc player on repeat without ever feeling the need to skip ahead or press stop. It is an impressive work from Industrial music's most important group in which it is eerily easy to get lost .

I bought this album on a rainy day at a small record store in Seattle, Washington. I was there to visit a woman I was seeing, and it was my first time in the city. I had heard some songs from Front 242, but never a full album. After hearing this I must say that I was missing out. There is nothing I can say that hasn't already been said, but I want to add that this album was ahead of its time, and is one of my favorite records to this day.

This was probably my second Front 242 album, after "Front by Front". And actually it was only like a year ago that I had bought that one. This one stands out as well. While not actually perfect it is way above average. Some tracks do admittedly either drag a bit or stuff like that, but the good outweighs the bad (not that bad) in many ways.

I have to say that my favorite song on the record is "Tragedy for You". That synth line is just hypnotic, and the vocals are rather unique. It never gets old, no matter how many times I repeat it. The album also starts out great with "Sacrifice", which will satisfy most EBM fans. So will this record. I also really enjoy "Trigger 2 (Anatomy of a Shot)". It is quite a good record.

So, even after going on to a major label, Front 242 are very much themselves. I think it is a great buy if you like industrial and EBM. It's one of my favorite styles of music so I'm glad to have them. And if you only heard "Pulse" and don't think you like them, you may want to try this album instead.

there is no amount of superlatives i could heap on this record to do it justice. the fact that it has stood its ground while electronic music has drastically changed is a testament to the pioneers that front 242 were. this is the definitive 242, although there are certainly moments not to be missed on all of their records.

EBM, electro-industrial, whatever you call it, most of it seems pretty embarassing these days, heavy metal BGM for Blade II, Tekken or worse. However, some albums remain as strange and threatening as they seemed 10 or 15 years ago: Too Dark Park by Skinny Puppy, Naive by KMFDM, Hole by Foetus and, yes, Tyranny For You. It goes without saying that the music still sounds like no electronica made before or since; the real surprise is that the lyrics (so often the Achilles Heel of industrial-pop) are as unusual as they are unforgettable.

Industrial has come a long, long way in terms of modernizing. You'd hardly think that "moldavia" by front 242 and "Chrome" by VNV nation are connected by anything. However, there was true creativity and honest feeling in the late 80s/early 90s industrial scene, and this cd exemplefies that spirit (if containing a few faults).

Characteristic of the new wave era is an interesting drum pattern that is apparent in pop music especially. We all know the sound, but its hard to describe- kind of like hitting a shallow box, but with a nice rhythm. For me, that drum pattern is the musical personification of the 80s. Early industrial took this drum pattern and used it for a more sinister style of music than, say, ABC. "Tyranny (for you)" utilizes this drum pattern with some interesting samples, sparse melodies and a continuous and often changing pattern, which is where the genius truly lies. The vocals are muffled and lack the crips, clear production of current industrial. This occasionally muddy production is the only drawback of this otherwise great album.

Front 242 had very different tools than the modern industrial artist, and the drum patterns of the day are interestingly connected to 80s pop (unlike the vastly different areas of industrial and dance pop of today). That said, the lyrics have all the anger and passion of today's bands, giving the album its dark feel. All in all, a catchy and enjoyable tunnel to the past of this genre (though a tunnel not meant for everyone. Try it, you may like it).

I can honestly say that this is one of those albums that I would require if I were to be stuck on a space station for a year.
I will never get tired of it.

Do yourself a favor: buy this cd.

Great music with a lasting impact. A big hand for Front 242! Few musicians could afford to play such a variety of sounds and noises with so splendid effect. This is vintage recording, which aims at the audiance by far bigger than "industrial" fans. A must have.

This is a fantastic album. "Moldavia" being my favorite song on the album. When "Moldavia" was the only song that was affected by a scratch, I ran out and bought a new CD. To sum it up this CD is powerful. Something angry just wells up inside of me when I listen to it and it makes me want to dance. Powerful!