FRONT LINE ASSEMBLY - Re-Wind
Disc # 1: Songs: 7  Time:  54:06
Disc # 2: Songs: 7  Time:  49:50
I'm afraid that I've reached Front Line Assembly burnout.  Aside from the Collide mix, Re-Wind just doesn't do anything for me.  Maybe it's just that I've quickly grown tired of the 'new FLA sound' or maybe it's because over the past 8 months I've been bombarded with new FLA discs, including singles, remix albums, collections, re-issues, and rare and unreleased compilations.  Well, for whatever reason, I can not honestly give Re-Wind a very positive review.  I've never been to fond of remixes that FLA do themselves.  I've always been more impressed with what another band can do to an FLA song.  For example, Haujobb's mixes of Circuitry and Plasticity are phenomenal due to the fact that they change the song and not just the order of the sequences, beats, samples, vocals, etc., which it seems is all that FLA does.  Predator (Final Mix) by Collide ranks up there with the pair of Haujobb mixes because  Collide do bring new things into the mix. First and foremost is the addition of kARIN's vocals.  In order not to overpower here with the music, Collide tone down the piece to the point where the music flows (and doesn't pound) behind the vocals.  I'd love to hear kARIN on the next Delerium CD (hint, hint hint.)  Life=Leben is worked over by Kalte Farben, who add a chaotic dimension to the piece by having the various layers of music seem disjointed / unconnected.  Judging from Kalte Farben's own material, this is their own spin on electro music.  Fini Tribe's Abstinence Mix of Auto-Erotic contains distant, echoing beats, hollow and manipulated vocals, and very little in the way of sequences.  The remainder of the pieces are nothing too spectacular. I was even disappointed with Front 242's mix of Comatose.  I don't really care for the new, techno sound of Front 242 and that is what they incorporated into their mix.  As far as Re-Wind goes, I would have liked to see a remix of Sado-Masochist, as well as some different remixes (maybe Funker Vogt, Evils Toy, Noisex, Das Ich…the list could go on.)  As far as FLA goes, it's going to take a lot of effort on their part to get me back on their side once again.  There was a time when they were the kings of this genre, but there are so many good new bands out there nowadays, that I fear FLA will soon be overshadowed, but never forgotten.
   
METROPOLIS RECORDS                   Front Line Assembly is:
P.O. Box 54307                                          Bill Leeb / Chris Peterson
Philadelphia, PA 19105
e-mail: metropol@voicenet.com
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