(FLA)vour of the Weak

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

[FLA]vour of the Weak
Studio album by
Front Line Assembly
ReleasedNovember 3, 1997 (1997-11-03)
Recorded1997 (1997), Cryogenic Studio, Vancouver, B.C.
GenreElectro-industrial, electronica, IDM, big beat, drum and bass
Length61:16
LabelOff Beat, Energy, Metropolis, Synthetic Symphony
ProducerBill 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]

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" as well as the B-side "Oblivion" contain 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 and reception

The album was met with mixed reviews. A support tour and promo videos were abandoned, the band later hired producer Greg Reely to redo their own material, which led to the remix album "Re-Wind" 9 months later. In 2015, the album saw a limited re-release on vinyl through Canadian label Artoffact.[17]

Singles

[FLA]vour of the Weak spawned two singles. The Colombian Necktie single contains an edit as well as a remix by Tim Schuldt of the title track. It also features two non-album tracks, "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 contains the "Ketamin 45mg" and "Valium 15mg" mixes by the band themselves. A third version of the title track was remixed by Eat Static ("Prozac 75mg"), who would deliver another, drastically different, remix of "Comatose" on "Re-Wind". The single also contains an exclusive mix of "Oblivion".

Most of the tracks from 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 and the timing of the compilation's release displeased Bill Leeb.[19]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Bill Leeb and Chris Peterson.

No.TitleLength
1."Corruption" (instrumental)8:00
2."Sado-Masochist"6:24
3."Autoerotic"6:20
4."Columbian Necktie"6:53
5."Evil Playground"8:42
6."Comatose"6:34
7."Life=Leben"6:40
8."Predator" (The song "Predator" ends at 7:40. After 30 seconds of silence (7:40 - 8:10), begins the hidden track "Bill in a Box".)11:43

Personnel

Front Line Assembly

Technical personnel
  • Adam Drake – editing
  • Dave McKean – design, illustration, photography
  • Jamie Griffiths – band photography
  • Tom Baker – mastering

Chart positions

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

References
  1. Front Line Assembly: Colombian Necktie > Overview at AllMusic
  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. No. 56. College Media. p. 50. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
  5. "Front Line Assembly - Flavour of the Weak". Culture Shock. No. 5. Genocide Project. 1998. p. 43. ISSN 1093-1651. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  6. Olszewski, Rob (February 1998). "Front Line Assembly - Flavour of the Weak". Ink 19. Archived from the original on April 27, 2014. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
  7. West, Drew (February 1998). "Front Line Assembly - Flavour of the Weak". Ink 19. Archived from the original on April 27, 2014. 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. Mr. Tangent (1998). "Decree". Culture Shock. No. 5. Genocide Project. p. 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.CS1 maint: others (link)
  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. Vol. 110 no. 25. New York: BPI Communications. June 2, 1998. p. 30. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
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