Front Line Assembly - Reclamation (1997)

The influential Front Line Assembly was far ahead of their time. Although later technoid groups would achieve far more popularity (Nine Inch Nials, Prodigy), most of the later industrial/electronic sounds were first laid down by Front Line Assembly. Formed in Vancouver, Canada back in 1986, FLA were one of the first groups (along with Skinny Puppy and Ministry) to fuse dance music with elements of both rock and alternative. Shouted vocals, repetitive synthesizers, and drum machines, eerie sound effects, and darkly futuristic lyrics were all present in the mix. Reclamation is essentially a best-of compilation covering 1989-1993, but also includes remixes and hard-to-find B-sides, making it the perfect introduction to the band and an indispensable addition to longtime fans' collections. Included are all of the group's underground hits -- "Digital Tension Dementia" (in a new Contagion Mix form) "Provision," and "No Limit." FLA's best-known single, "Mindphaser," was a big club hit in 1992, and it's easy to understand why -- contagious dance beats and affected vocals with a monstrous Euro-accent spell success in the techno genre. The group has been quiet of late; Rhys Fulber is the only FLA member remaining active (producing tracks for the electronic-heavy metal band Fear Factory). And although the group never truly broke through in America like they did in Europe, it seems like FLA's music would be better appreciated in this heavily computerized day and age.