State of Mind - Dark Publications

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Similar Items:

•	The Initial Command
•	Caustic Grip/Gashed Senses and Crossfire
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•	Fallout
•	Hard Wired

Customer Reviews: Read 2 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

FLA's best album so far, hands down May 12, 1998
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

Given that this was Front Line Assembly's second album (not counting the "Total Terror" demos), it feels strange to call it their best, especially considering that there have been at least seven albums since. But "State of Mind" has a raw, primitive quality to it that you can't find in industrial albums released nowadays. Bill Leeb knew how to make use of space back in the late '80s and didn't feel the need to throw all the effects in the studio at the listener. It's a dark album without being self-consciously so, and Leeb's gripping, original use of voice samples adds a touch of gritty drama you certainly won't find in the (strangely more popular) KMFDM canon. Yes, there are other great industrial albums, but this is certainly in the top five.

3 out of 5 stars

interesting though primitive May 1, 2001
2 out of 3 found this review helpful

This album is interesting because I see many of the elements that Leeb would later develop in his uncountable side-projects and in FLA; Some of these songs sound as pre-gashed senses and crossfire attempts: 'First Reprisal', 'Resistance' others are instrumental and remind me of some Delerium songs: 'Eastern Voices', 'Testimony'; even 'Resistance' anticipates in mood and chorus some songs from the 'Hard Wired' epoch.(no, its chorus is almost identical to 'Mindphaser') However, the album is rather poorly recorded, and cannot compete with the albums that Skinny Puppy were recording at the time; the electronics sound a bit muffled even if the sounds are interesting: it seems more a problem of recording, anyway. Leeb's voice sounds raw; the album is naturally divided into two parts belonging to different recording sessions; the second part, recorded in 1988, sounds a bit better, especially Leeb's voice: compare his voice in 'Resistance', for example. I cannot say this is the best FLA album, but it's maybe more miscellaneous, even if it has less variety of sounds, than other albums such as 'Hard Wired', for example.

5 out of 5 stars

A Total Mood September 19, 2002
2 out of 3 found this review helpful

This was the first FLA album I ever got, back when it was brand new. It has continued to not only be my favorite Front Line Assembly album, it also is an album which I continue to listen to on a regular basis even well over a decade later.
If you are looking for really intense dance tracks, this album is not for you. Even though a lot of it is very beat driven, for the most part it is an eerie album that evokes a very dark mood. I absolutely love this album, and if you are into any kind of music of this genre and don't own this album you need to get a copy of it.

4 out of 5 stars

State of Mind ~ Front Line Assembly April 16, 2005
State of mind is an example of the earliest recordings by FLA and yes it does sound quite primitive compared to the later releases such as TNI and Implode. Then one has to remember that Leeb was working with primitive synths, samplers, and one should therefore not demand that it will sound like later recordings at all. The vocals are not as good and that is why I give it 4 instead of 5 stars and it is hard to hear what he is singing. I bought the old dossier release with the dolls head in the toaster and the rest of this release looks quite cheap with no book-let and no information to talk about The picture the members looks cheap and as if it ws photographed by a friend of Leebs and not a proffesional photographer. However, one has to admire Leeb that is able to create this kind of music on a very limited budget.

5 out of 5 stars

State of Mind > July 16, 2005
0 out of 2 found this review helpful

This is FLA's second album and just like early Delerium, early FLA was much better than the FLA now. This is possibly due to the style of instruments back in the early 1990's but the primitive industrial beats sound good and are not disruptive to listen to like later FLA albums were. I was impressed with the quality of music on show here, the songs flowed smoothely and did not carry on for 7-10 minutes like most FLA songs do these days. The synths mixed well with the industrial aspects of the song and moments of dark gothica fusion melded well with the overall dynamics of the songs. There is also a 'Delerium' influence within a few of these songs most noticably in 'Eastern Voices', 'Landslide' & 'Consequence'.
This CD will be played regularly by me as it is a 1 hour escape into the pleasures and fundaments of musical nirvana.

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