Review by Jason Norwood
Rating: *****
Standout track: Shifting Through The Lens
Front Line Assembly has been around for what seems like forever, coming out of the early experimentation in Canada that spawned bands like Skinny Puppy (of which Bill Leeb is a former member). The troubling thing about most long-standing industrial acts is their reliance on sounding somewhat the same throughout their careers. Not so with FLA's latest effort "I.E.D." There are certainly elements of their classic sound, which remains unique in the world of EBM, but this album kicks up the danceablility a notch, straddles pure electroncia and essences of metal, and winds up a huge breath of fresh air. If Leeb has had trouble dealing with the success of his alter-ego project Delerium, there's little sign of it. "I.E.D." has very little in the way of dull moments. The only downfall is the fact that the album's single "Shifting Through The Lens" wasn't included in its full EP form.