Track listing
Show track credits
- 1 Vigilante 6:28
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guitar
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- 2 Millennium 6:09
- 3 Liquid Separation 5:05
- 4 Search and Destroy 6:30
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Don Harrisonguitar
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- 5 Surface Patterns 5:35
- 6 Victim of a Criminal 6:32
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rap, writer
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- 7 Division of Mind 5:47
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guitar
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- 8 This Faith 6:11
- 9 Plasma Springs 6:20
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Don Harrisonguitar
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- 10 Sex Offender 8:12
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guitar
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- Total length: 62:49
Rate/Catalog
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Review
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7 Issues
- Release view [combined information for all issues]
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Millennium [p]
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Millennium Promo
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Millennium Bonus CD, Bonus Tracks, Digipak, Numbered Edition, Remastered
16 Reviews
Jumping a bit late on the industrial metal bandwagon, Front Line Assembly switch gears from their last album and add a whole lot of chugging to their sound. Only one track keeps the distorted guitars at bay.
While their take on the style is good to go at first, I get tired of the chuggage after the third track. Long, fairly repetitive songs that do a lot of the same things. A few swerves arrive, including "Victim of a Criminal" which sounds like something out of Judgement Night, the aformentioned "This Faith" that goes for atmosphere outside of aggression, and the lengthy "Sex Offender" in which the percussion sounds like a bulked-up Tears For Fears "Shout" after some lengthy, freaky ambiance.
It's alright, and the opener is cool, but it gets old until the last few numbers which perk my ears up again. "Plasma Springs" isn't doing anything different than the bulk of the tracks, but boasts a little extra energy concerning the beats. I don't know, Front Line Assembly are titans in the electro-industrial zone, but others did the metal-type industrial better.
While their take on the style is good to go at first, I get tired of the chuggage after the third track. Long, fairly repetitive songs that do a lot of the same things. A few swerves arrive, including "Victim of a Criminal" which sounds like something out of Judgement Night, the aformentioned "This Faith" that goes for atmosphere outside of aggression, and the lengthy "Sex Offender" in which the percussion sounds like a bulked-up Tears For Fears "Shout" after some lengthy, freaky ambiance.
It's alright, and the opener is cool, but it gets old until the last few numbers which perk my ears up again. "Plasma Springs" isn't doing anything different than the bulk of the tracks, but boasts a little extra energy concerning the beats. I don't know, Front Line Assembly are titans in the electro-industrial zone, but others did the metal-type industrial better.
Published
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1
Vigilante
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2
Millennium
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3
Liquid Separation
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4
Search and Destroy
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5
Surface Patterns
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6
Victim of a Criminal
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7
Division of Mind
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8
This Faith
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9
Plasma Springs
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10
Sex Offender
Published
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1
Vigilante
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2
Millennium
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3
Liquid Separation
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4
Search and Destroy
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5
Surface Patterns
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6
Victim of a Criminal
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7
Division of Mind
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8
This Faith
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9
Plasma Springs
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10
Sex Offender
Only one song lacks the metal guitars (This Faith). Aside of that this is the point where they started using samples of Pantera and Metallica (Surface Patterns, Division of Mind) and also playing some of them live in studio (courtesy of a Canadian then-underground hero Devin Townsend).
The blending of elements is also great proven by the opening trio with those hypnotic electronic beats (Liquid Separation is their masterpiece, closely followed by the also Pantera-inflicted title-track and the apocalyptic Falling Down-based Vigilante). The whole album is filled with this uneasy apocalyptic, world destroying atmosphere and the lyrics follow suit.
The only song I don't like is Victim of a Criminal with some rapping (very woke and stupid lyrics, as well), despite of a great Sepultura riff. Division of Mind is the same, but without rapping and slightly more interesting musical basis.
If you want them at their heaviest and most metallic, go for this, but the neighbouring albums are also electro-industrial classics.
Greatest songs: Liquid Separation, Vigilante, Millennium
Least great song: Victim of a Criminal, Division of Mind
Rating: 3.9
Published
Dangerous mix of throbbing EBM with tons of synth layers; furious guitar samples of Pantera, Sepultura and Metallica; atmospheric film samples from such movies as Full Metal Jacket, Hellraiser, Evil Dead; and futurustic lyrics - this is near ideal combination of industrial-metal. Many considered that Leeb and Fulber has decided to step into mainstream cause industrial-metal was ahead in the beginning of 90's. For me - it's just another stage of FLA evolution. Bill Leeb is genial music experimentator.
Published
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Fulber and Leeb (sorta) do a metal album
One thing you could say about Bill Leeb is that if there's a trend, he'll try it. Is Drum n' Bass and Big Beat in? He'll try it! Is the New Age/Dance/World Music hybrid of Enigma and Deep Forest giving you a run for your money? Try out that style! Hell, the latest Front Line Assembly album dips it's toes in Dubstep. I wouldn't be surprised to see him release a Dubstep side project album.In 1994, Leeb and partner in Crime Rhys Fulber released "Millennium", which brought guitars into the forefront. Well, not live ones, but sampled ones. Granted, guitars had been used before, but mostly to add atmosphere. Here, Leeb and Fulber wanted to release something for the metal crowd, and considering that they were now signed to Roadrunner, this sort of made sense. Besides, groups like Ministry, KMFDM and Chemlab were now popular, so I guess they thought "hey, why not?" On the plus side, Devin Townsend does deliver some non sampled riffs, and they are as great as you'd expect.
Does it work? Well, it does on "Vigilante" (featuring awesome riffs from Townsend) the title song, "Search and Destroy" and closing song "Sex Offender" (which marks the beginning of the project using long, atmospheric closing songs.) Unfortunately, on songs like "Liquid Separation", "Surface Patterns" "Division of Mind" and "Plasma Springs", it feels too much like a gimmick. This is especially true for "Patterns", which uses obvious Metallica and Pantera samples ("Walk" and "Don't Tread on Me") which sound more than a little lame, as if they are going "Hey kids, you like "The Black Album" and "Vulgar Display of Power" right? Well so do we!" "Victim of a Criminal" is a stab at politically charged Rap Metal, but the production doesn't really fit, though thankfully "This Faith" (the only song without guitar samples) is a pretty good ballad.
As a whole, the experience feels hit and miss. When it hits (especially on "Vigilante" and "This Faith") it really hits. When it misses, it feels a little awkward. Worthy of probably one listen, but don't expect to remember a lot of it.
Published
Pretty meh except for the sole catchy high point that is Liquid Separation. The 50/50 industrial metal + EBM hybrid is somewhat attractive until you realize that the band isn't doing anything particularly interesting with either element of those two, and the songs stretch out to very tiresome proportions considering how few ideas they have to offer. One of the most accessible albums by the band however, if you aren't an electro purist that loathes the distorted guitars of course.
Published
too much repetition. screw that. i could accept the guitar stuff but it just becomes like satan's dental drill after listening it for the third time.
Published
Touted as a brave new direction for FLA, this album saw the band abandon their trademark cyberpunk sound just as quickly as they had perfected it. It's just as well, as the cyberpunk fab had all but died out. However the album was a disappointment to many fans. They had previously done great work remixing Fear Factory songs, but it just didn't work here. It's by far their weakest album.
Published
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