Civilization

Front Line Assembly

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 20, 2004)
• Original Release Date: January 20, 2004
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Metropolis Records
• ASIN: B00015HVL0
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #91,671 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rhys is back and FLA matures artistically, January 23, 2004

By	Dave Cordes (Denver, CO) - See all my reviews

As alluded to by their previous album, Epitaph, Bill Leeb has all but jettisoned the oldschool, repetitive, angst ridden formula of FLA that was the benchmark of the eighties and nineties industrial/electro-EBM scene. Rhys Fulber is back and together the two have taken FLA into a bold new territory that elevates their familiar sound and takes it to the next artistic level and into the new millenium.

Civilization has instantly become perhaps my favorite FLA album to date, an honor that, until now, was coveted by Tactical Neural Implant - the infamous album that most fans would popularly agree as the pinnacle of FLA's masterworks and it would be unfair to draw any comparisons here between the two albums because they are completely different stylistically and aesthetically, but both important in their own right in defining the categorical sound of FLA.

There is a lot of oldschool Delerium influnces on this album circa the Morpheus/Euphoric/Spiritual Archives years that interleaves brilliant layers of surreal ambience with an artistically creative impulse.

The obvious standouts of particular mention on this album include:

Track 1 - Psychosomatic - The album begins with a little mix of D&B rhythm (anybody remember Flavour of the Weak?) but as soon as Bill Leeb's definitive vocals kick in, we are immediatly comforted and assured that this is indeed the familiar FLA we have come to expect.

Track 2 - Maniacal - probably the most familiar and predictable sounding of FLA's oldschool style. Leeb's vocals kick up the beat with a literal "Bang!" and the driving guitars give it an edgier feel of something off Millenium or Hard Wired.

Track 3 - Transmitter (Come Together) - This is the one track that spurs the most controversary and people either love it or hate it. Personally, I think it is absolutely brilliant and a bold move for FLA. Leeb's harmonious vocals chanting "Let's All Come Together... Let's All Join Hands" may turn off some more aggressive industrial heads with its "touchy-feely" tone and contradictory optimism but it sounds absolutely beautiful and is undeniably a milestone of this album and accentuates FLA's artistic maturity to transcend itself above it's own stylistic redundancy.

Track 6 - Civilization - The album's title track begins slowly with lush dark atmosphere brilliantly layered with dialogue samples extracted from the context of contemporary media and keying on soundbites of "Freedom" and "Civilization" looping endlessly in the background up until Leeb's politically barking vocals make their presence known. When the chorus kicks in, it sounds more like a ballad engineered as a single for commercial airplay but I have no complaints because the engineering here works absolutely brilliantly and Civilization stands out as one of the most memorable and important songs not only on the entire album, but of FLA's entire catalog.

Track 7 - Fragmented - Harmonious female vocals lifted right from some of Delerium's latter and poppier tracks build gradually into Leeb's familiar aggressive vocals and accompanied perfectly by the orchestral classical sounds of violins brilliantly mixed into the melody. This is definitely one of my favorite tracks on the album and defines FLA's new artistic style and presence with profound maturity.

Track 9 - Dissident - Atmospherically reminiscent of something from Delerium's Spiritual Archives with middle-eastern background vocals chanting amidst the surreal subtext and Leeb's daunting vocals that cry Skinny Puppy, but a brilliant track nonetheless.

Track 10 - Schicksal - Sentimental piano chords contrast against Leeb's accompanying German vocals and pulsing EBM beats. As always, German vocals compliment just about any well composed industrial song quite well. Schicksal is no exception and FLA can do no wrong here.

Civilization has unquestionably arrived as the best artistic effort from FLA in years and a welcomed surprise. Rhys Fulber has returned with the FLA formula and has definitely brought back the creative chemistry. I have been playing this album in my car non-stop for days and love it more with each consecutive listening.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Good and the Bad, November 17, 2004

By	Ryan R. Shull (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Even with the return of Rys, there probably will not be another Tactical Nueral Implant. But Tech has changed, people change, and doing somethings over and over get old. Change can be good.

With Civilization we come away with something a bit more Rediemable than Epitath. The first three tracks seem to have a taste of what we remember of the primal days of industrial music, something kinda hard and gritty, but after the fifth track, the album slips into an ambience coma. Stuff that should probably have been in a side project perhaps.

I suppose I still miss the days I first got into FLA, and listened to them while playing the original "Quake." Though I would still recommend the album for it is very much worthy of being FLA. It combines the use of the older, gritter tones in the first half, and though the later portion of the album subsides from the initial intensity, it still carries on with an almost alien overtone.

If you like Frontline, its still a must have for the collection.

Also recommended: Tactical Nueral Implant, Implode, and Hardwired.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars F.L.A.- Civilization- a great new release!, February 24, 2005

By	Scheissmessiah (New Jersey) - See all my reviews

Having both Bill Leeb and Rhys Fulber back together is a great thing in itself, and I find that their new release, Civilization, is a truly great cd. I think that fans of the Epitath and Implode cd's will be pleased. I know that many FLA fans yearn for the days of Tactical Neural Implant, but I also do believe that it is necessary for bands to evolve over time, and this cd is a good continuation of that process. The production is typically flawless, and the music sounds great. I find the music to be uplifting, powerful, inventive and deep at times. I highly recommend this album, you will not be dissappointed. I cannot see how anybody could be bored with music like this!