FRONT LINE ASSEMBLY - Caustic Grip

Artist:  Front Line Assembly
Album:  Caustic Grip
Year:  1990
Genre:  Industrial

Front Line Assembly is tied with Ministry as my second favorite industrial band.  Yet, if the high caliber of a body of work counts, they would knock Al and crew right to the bronze podium.  (any reader willing to delve into my previous posts can discover who the reigning gold medalist of my electro world is).  Coincidently, Front Line Assembly founder and constant, Bill Leeb, was once a member of that band.  Leeb has spearheaded a 37 year journey for Front Line Assembly.  Strangely enough, he has instituted very few member changes or major contributors throughout the years, unlike the aforementioned Ministry, and other genre icons such as Nine Inch Nails, Killing Joke, KMFDM, and My Life With The Thrill Kill Cult who seem to have a revolving door for members.  I believe this consistency keeps the focus of Front Line Assembly strong and the music solid.  Firmly rooted in what could be considered “textbook” industrial, Front Line Assembly are masters of layering sounds and samples over up-tempo, dare I say dance oriented, rhythms.  Don’t let that statement frighten you.  These are not the friendly, bass thumping techno beats that get your butt moving out of a chair, but rather aggressive patterns that push each song into a mechanical and bleak direction.  Leeb rarely strays from his harsh, ghost-in-the-machine vocalizations, which adds another dimension to the soundscape.  I truly mean it when I say I listen to every Front Line Assembly record and enjoy each one of them.  The record I find myself coming back to time and time again is 1990's Caustic Grip.  I easily put it in the same class at Pretty Hate Machine, Land Of Rape And Honey, and Too Dark Park.  That's some hefty, yet well deserved, company.

Listen to "Provision" here.