Implode - Dark Publications

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Editorial Reviews:

Amazon.com
The incredibly prolific Bill Leeb returns with partner Chris Peterson for Front Line Assembly's 10th album, the follow-up to 1998's FLAvour of the Weak. Conceptually, Implode is nothing new--Leeb mails in the lyrics (mostly vague, nihilistic diatribes on the alienation and despair bred by technology and a violent world) and laces the disc with what-sci-fi-movie-is-that-from? samples. But musically, well, that's a different story. If FLAvour was too preoccupied with its crunchy drum & bass textures, Implode is eminently more listenable. In many ways, it harks back to the band's superlative 1991 disc, Tactical Neural Implant; Leeb actually sings in places rather than rely on his usual processed croaking, and the mix is cleaner, allowing individual synth melodies to have their space without being swallowed up by a volley of percussive blasts. Yes, there's a bit of heavy guitar, but it's used as an accent and often mixed way back. And the variety is refreshing: the lead single, "Prophecy," is an aggressive, dramatic dirge that recalls the band's Caustic Grip days; "Synthetic Forms" and "Silent Ceremony," with their Gregorian chants and oceanlike synth sounds, could easily be tracks on Leeb's Delerium side project; the near-ballad "Falling" throws in acoustic guitar; and "Unknown Dreams" even features some scratching! A rewarding listen and a fine return to form. --Steve Landau

Album Description
1999 album from the techno/ industrial legends. 10 tracks, including the single 'Prophecy'.

Customer Reviews: Read 42 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

Superlative December 30, 1999
9 out of 9 found this review helpful

FLA returns with their most polished effort to date. While their sideprojects have always explored various niches of their musical tastes, this is the first FLA album to truly integrate those influences with the classic FLA sounds of TNI and Hard Wired, the sheer aggressiveness of Caustic Grip, and the badass drum'n bass loops(thank you, Chris!) of the criminally underappreciated FLAvour. The powerful choirs on 'Prophecy', Bill actually singing on 'Falling', the chorus on 'Machine Slave', and the majestic Delerium-esque tracks 'Silent Ceremony' and 'Synthetic forms' - all examples of the new FLA - more melodic, better produced, and as aggressive as ever. Buy this record, check out the sideprojects, support a great band. You won't regret it.

5 out of 5 stars

just one word..wow!!! September 13, 1999
5 out of 5 found this review helpful

Man what a great piece of music have Bill And Chris put together. They've put all of FLA's side projects into one cd and it freaking worked. The first three songs are your typical Agressive Fla-work your body songs. The second song is just amazing, Bill's voice really stands out and that chunky guitar rift fits like a glove. "Prophecy" is a mid-tempo yet agressive track. I love the lyrics to it. The fourth is an ambient werk with some Event Horizon samples. The fifth track is so un-fla, but its an amazing song, i think its the first fla song to use an aquistic guitar. The sixth is another ambeint werk, a good one at that too. Unknow dreams, the 7th track, should be the song that gets the general public hooked on fla, Bill actually sings, there is some scratching evident, and a really catchy chorus. Torched is another wonderfull track, and so is the 9thtrack. Synthetic forms, the last track, smells of Delerium. It's a wonderfull etheral track. All in all a great cd, a must by for anybody who's into EBM, industrial dance, or just likes good music.

5 out of 5 stars

Classic industrial music January 17, 2002
5 out of 6 found this review helpful

I am a huge fan of Bill Leebs and his various incarnations of Delerium. I recently was inspired to push my interest in industrial music, everything from Front Line Assembly to Wumpscut. I wanted to start checking out Front Line Assembly's work since I am a fan of Bill Leebs so I chose "Implode", an album that is considered to be classic FLA by many standards. "Implode" is certainly a lot different than my beloved favorite KMFDM whose machine gun sounds can often sound repetitive from time to time. I guess I wouldn't say that FLA is completely industrial considering that there are quite a few ambient songs that could easily be found on any Delerium cd. There really isn't a particular sound I heard on "Implode" which makes it all the more interesting. The vocals on "Unknown Dreams" has this dreamy-like quality that makes the song stand out for me. I've never heard that before in a industrial band. The music is still intense and heavy just not glass-shattering as the likes of KMFDM and Wumpscut. "Implode" is definitely a classic in my book.

5 out of 5 stars

I'd just about given up.... January 19, 2006
4 out of 4 found this review helpful

and then I heard this brilliant gem which took my breath away. I've been a long-time fan of FLA since the early days and they keep evolving (albeit with a few exceptions), but this release is amazing, simply amazing. It combines the best of all their side projects and then some. I love every song (they're all different) but #3 is the true standout in my opinion. I can listen to it over and over, never tiring and hear something different each time. The samples don't bother me, in fact they add an interesting edge, same with the vocals, from actual singing to subliminally whispered darkness; love it! This cd is also the hands-down perfect one to listen to on long dark evening drives... it's mezmerizing, hypnotic, melodic with a harsh edge, dark, moody and beautiful. Simply perfect.

4 out of 5 stars

"Man I'm getting some really strange readings in here..." June 22, 2000
3 out of 6 found this review helpful

The CD cover is fittingly disturbing, executed by my favourite graphic artist, no less! The music? Less of the harsh industrial we've come to know, Bill Leeb delivers his usual dose of doom via gothic choirs. The album reminds me of the dark atmosphere of the Tactical Neural Implant album. And the samples? Do I hear Event Horizon? Great movie. I love it. Some of "FLAvour of the Weak's" D&B continues on this album, but in a much more downbeat way.

The quiet, slow numbers like "Unknown Dreams", "Synthetic Forms" and "Silent Ceremony" (my favourite track) are a welcome change. The "Prophecy" single is a masterpiece, and there's the rather "Millennium"/"Hard Wired"-like single "Fatalist" for those who long for the previous incarnation of FLA. A shame about the "poor me" lyrics on that number though. The use of that long sample from Massive Attack's "Mezzanine" works brilliantly, although one expects FLA to get sued for it.

This album grew on me and is now, besides "Millennium" - my favourite FLA offering. "Implode" should restore followers' faith in FLA - I'm talking about those that didn't like "FotW's" sudden move towards pure synth and D&B. It has a similar atmosphere to "Tactical Neural Implant", although not sound-wise, and Bill Leeb actually sings without voice distortion on some tracks!

PS: Since this review, I tried to change my star rating to 5, but Amazon doesn't give that option.

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