So, at the same time I purchased Echogenetic, I found FLA had released another album, though not necessarily canon Front Line. They produced a soundtrack for the RTS/MOBA AirMech.
In short, I love this disc. Similar to Echo, it features classic FLA style rhythms and beats with that new dub polish. The whole listen is very easy and enjoyable, but it really takes off with track 8, Lose - starts slow, quiet, and building into this bitter and remorseful reflection, trapped between periodic mechanical beats; a ghost in the machine, an echo of human hubris. Ya, I love that track. Wub wub.
We then pick things up with Burning Skyline, which has a typical progressive intro, layering on sounds, like random chemicals stirring, then it combusts into this mid-range aggressive beat with melodies leading the high range. It doesn't take long and before you know it, you're flying! Wub wub wub.
Stealth is where things take a different bend. It's night time and there's this constant reverberation, a building tension that releases into phrases of elegance and beauty.
Which leads us to the terminal Death Level, where we see our first glimpse of something dark and malevolent. It broods with a kind of malice until it finds you and unleashes these bursts mechanical rage. Then it simmers and the tension mounts as you hear it build toward another attack.
Then like the calm after the storm, we have Prime Empiricism, which seems to peaceful and distant by comparison that it may be a requiem to a world that has been ravaged by never ending war and travails, but not entirely without hope.
Again, no secret I love my Front Line, but I have always had a soft spot for their instrumental tracks (The Chair, Sex Offender, Mortal, Silent Ceremony, to name just a few). To get a full album in this sort of space is a real treat.
In a lot of ways, this takes me back to the MechWarrior 2 red-book audio days.
Whether you are an FLA fan or not, I definitely recommend this as a must-have for your catalogue.
