Search - Frontline Assembly :: Corroded Disorder

Any true FLA fan will adore this album

Jason O. Gibson | Macedonia, Ohio USA | 12/09/1999

(3 out of 5 stars)

""Corroded disorder" is a medley of two early Wax Trax! releases, "Corrosion and Disorder" with 2 extra tracks from the Rhys Fulber days included: (Mutate-{a non-vocal version of "Mutilate" from the "Mindphaser" single, I believe}, and a complex bass-driven track entitled "Teardown". If you can appreciate FLA's work, including "Hard Wired", "Implode", "Tactical Neural Implant", and especially "Caustic Grip", you may be able to appreciate this primitive offering from Bill Leeb and company. I must mention that this disc is quite repetitive in nature, so if you opt for variation with your corrosive listening pleasure, purchase one of FLA's later albums such as "Tactical Neural Implant" or "Implode" and you shall not be dissapointed. This album's standout tracks include "Mutate", "Teardown", "Concussion"-(With a hint of the "Gashed Senses" era), "On the Cross"-(A dark, experimental track also included on "Total Terror Part One"), "Dark Dreams"-(My personal favorite on this disc, full of tele-vangelist samples and religiously oppressive tendencies), "Body Count"-(Very avant garde, almost "Caustic Grip" sounding), and finally "Die Sect"-(A repetitive, yet intoxicating track). To put all of this into a nutshell, if you are interested in being exposed to the early FLA sound, buy this album before buying "State of Mind", "The Initial Command" or the "Total Terror" series."

How to make good electronic music with limited equipment

D. M. MATALLIN | Valencia, Spain | 11/29/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Many people would say that this cd (as well as the earlier ones) are just for die-hard fans. I understand it, but think otherwise. I would advise this cd to all people who like electronic music and would like what can be done with a relatively limited equipment.
ok, Corroded Disorder is not 'Tactical neural implant', that's true, but it's amazing what some people (say, Cevin Key, Bill Leeb...) could do without the technological innovation and facilities of today.Of course, this cd cannot be compared with FLA's masterpieces (Caustic Grip, TNI, Hard Wired, Implode, Epitaph...), but it's an example of what grounds Leeb was treading to arrive at what he would do later. We can say that from 1989 'Gashed Senses & Crossfire' and especially since 'Caustic Grip' with Fulber as full member of the band, FLA marked a milestone in electronic music. Before that, Leeb and co experimented with electronic equipment and samples, mixed Gregorian chants (previous to Enigma (they had already been used in Skinny Puppy's 'Dig it' actually), hard beats, distorted voice, in a similar way to Front 242 but much harder and less catchy. Corroded Disorder is a blend of 2 eps from 1988. Some songs are very good: 'Body Count', which is an anticipation of what was to come, 'Concussion', 'Lurid Sensation', which is a quite original EBM song (maybe the only song in which Leeb's voice leaves his usual deep voice for a moment: a scream), 'Obsession', quite 242ish, 'The Wrack', which sounds as if Kraftwerk's 'Man Machine' was filtered through a liquidizer (ha ha, horrid metaphor, I know), 'Headcase Fargone', with a quite weird bass beginning, 'Dark dreams', with the 'In the name of Jesus' sample, the same as used by Front 242 in the archiwellknown 'Welcome to Paradise'. The cd has also Deleriumesque songs ('On the cross'), you know, instrumental songs with almost no beat and full of samples (I love them). The only songs which sound a bit out of place are the first 2, which even though they're quite good, especially 'Mutate', which is an instrumental version of 'Mutilate', are from 1992.To sum up, 'Corroded Disorder' is maybe the best cd from the earlier ones, the first in which Delerium elements are less obvious and typical FLA hardbeat songs are protagonists.
In absolute terms, this cd is not amazing; having in mind the limited equipment used at the time, this cd is absolutely recommendable. It may sound primitive, but if you pay attention to the songs you'll perceive more and more details and the brilliancy of the atmospheres created by Leeb, Balch and Fulber."