FLAvour of the Weak

[FLA]vour of the Weak
Studio album by Front Line Assembly
Released November 3, 1997 (1997-11-03)
Recorded 1997 (1997), Cryogenic Studio, Vancouver, B.C.
Genre Industrial, electro-industrial, electronica, IDM
Length 59:07
Label Off Beat, Energy, Metropolis, Synthetic Symphony
Producer Bill Leeb, Chris Peterson
Front Line Assembly chronology
Reclamation
(1997)
'[FLA]vour of the Weak'
(1997)
Cryogenic Studios
(1998)
Singles from [FLA]vour of the Weak
  1. "Colombian Necktie"
    Released: November 18, 1997[1]
  2. "Comatose"
    Released: May 19, 1998[2]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
CMJ New Music MonthlyMixed[4]
Culture Shock7/7[5]
Ink 19Favorable[6][7]
Kerrang![8]
Naked Truth8/10[9]

[FLA]vour of the Weak is an album by industrial music group Front Line Assembly, released in November 1997 by Off Beat.

Background

[FLA]vour of the Weak is the first album of the band to feature Chris Peterson. Peterson had already toured with Front Line Assembly for Caustic Grip and Tactical Neural Implant but had never been part of the creative process.[10] He also had teamed up with Rhys Fulber in the band Will before Fulber became official member of Front Line Assembly. After Fulber's departure band leader Bill Leeb asked Peterson to join Front Line Assembly.[10]

Musical style

The style is a departure from previous releases in the FLA catalog, more of a "fashion-techno" sound "in the spirit of the electro scene"[11] of the time: the group's beat-heavy signature began to take heavy cues from styles such as IDM and breakbeat.

Samples

"Sado-Masochist" uses samples of Eazy-E from an interview with hip hop group N.W.A[12][13] while both "Comatose" and "Predator" borrow samples from 1996 American horror film Hellraiser: Bloodline.[14] Non-album track "Electrocution" from the Colombian Necktie single makes use of samples from Daft Punk's Rollin' & Scratchin'[15] and from The Chemical Brothers' Block Rockin' Beats.[16]

Release

The album saw a limited re-release on vinyl in 2015 through Canadian label Artoffact.[17]

Singles

[FLA]vour of the Weak spawned two singles. The title track of the Colombian Necktie single comes in two flavours, as edit and as remix by Tim Schuldt. The single features two non-album tracks as well, "Deadlock" and "Electrocution".[1] "Colombian Necktie" is accidentally written "Columbian Necktie" in the booklet, on the disc, and as fourth track on the back cover.[18] The second single Comatose includes three remixes of the title track one of which is done by Eatstatic, and non-album song "Oblivion".

Most tracks of the singles were re-released in 1999 through Off Beat on the compilation album Explosion, together with tracks from the Circuitry and Plasticity singles. This coincided with the release of Implode, which was met with Bill Leeb's disapproval.[19]

Track listing

All tracks written by Bill Leeb and Chris Peterson. 

No. Title Length
1. "Corruption" (instrumental) 8:00
2. "Sado-Masochist"   6:24
3. "Autoerotic"   6:20
4. "Colombian Necktie"   6:53
5. "Evil Playground"   8:42
6. "Comatose"   6:34
7. "Life=Leben"   6:40
8. "Predator" (Includes hidden track "Bill in a Box") 9:55

Personnel

Front Line Assembly

Technical personnel

Chart positions

Comatose

Chart (1998) Peak position
Billboard Hot Dance Breakouts[20] 4

References

  1. 1 2 Front Line Assembly: Colombian Necktie > Overview at AllMusic. Retrieved April 23, 2014.
  2. "Front Line Assembly - Comatose". Discogs. Retrieved March 13, 2014.
  3. Huey, Steve. Front Line Assembly: Flavour of the Weak > Overview at AllMusic. Retrieved June 30, 2012.
  4. Jarman, David (April 1998). "Front Line Assembly: FLAvour of the Weak". CMJ New Music Monthly. College Media (56): 50. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
  5. "Front Line Assembly - Flavour of the Weak". Culture Shock. Genocide Project (5): 43. 1998. ISSN 1093-1651.
  6. Olszewski, Rob (February 1998). "Front Line Assembly - Flavour of the Weak". Ink 19. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
  7. West, Drew (February 1998). "Front Line Assembly - Flavour of the Weak". Ink 19. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
  8. Arnopp, Jason. "'[FLA]vour Of The Weak'". Kerrang!. London: Bauer Media Group.
  9. !Dubs!. "Frontline Assembly - FLAvour of the Weak". Naked Truth.
  10. 1 2 Mr. Tangent (1998). "Decree". Culture Shock. Genocide Project (5): 35. ISSN 1093-1651.
  11. "Front Line Assembly > FLAvour of the Weak". Mindphaser.com. April 30, 2005. Archived from the original on May 31, 2012. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
  12. Reed, S. Alexander (2013). Assimilate: a critical history of industrial music. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 220. ISBN 978-0-19-983260-6.
  13. "Front Line Assembly samples". Mindphaser.com. Retrieved June 23, 2013.
  14. Crabtree, Vexen (January 23, 2014). "Hellraiser Samples Used in Music". Vexen Crabtree Website. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
  15. "Front Line Assembly's Electrocution sample of Daft Punk's Rollin' & Scratchin'". WhoSampled. Retrieved June 23, 2014.
  16. "Front Line Assembly's Electrocution sample of The Chemical Brothers's Block Rockin' Beats". WhoSampled. Retrieved June 23, 2014.
  17. "Exclusive stream re-release Front Line Assembly album 'FLAvour of the Weak' + available as 3X 2LP vinyl set". Side-Line. Belgium. October 5, 2015. Retrieved October 8, 2015.
  18. Colombian Necktie. Front Line Assembly. Off Beat / Metropolis / Energy. 1997.
  19. "Front Line Assembly > Explosion". Mindphaser.com. April 30, 2005. Archived from the original on May 31, 2012. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
  20. "Billboard Hot Dance Breakouts". Billboard. New York: BPI Communications. 110 (25): 30. June 2, 1998. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
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