by David Jeffries
Originally announced as an EP, Front Line Assembly's Fallout arrived as an album featuring three new tracks and nine remixes. Minus the club highlight &Armageddon,& everything comes off or was left off the very good Artificial Soldier album, making this an instantly desirable release for hardcore fans and one of the better odds and ends collections in FLA's catalog, and there are plenty. Combichrist aim their mix at the club, Sebastian R. Komor (Icon of Coil) makes &Unleashed& sound absolutely epic, while DJ? Acucrack offers a drum'n'bass mix with changing, morphing rhythms. The most difficult and rewarding remix come from the legendary Portion Control who strip the pounding beat from &Lowlife& and create something much more creepy and sinister. The dreamy new track &Electric Dreams& might be too precious for the more cynical FLA fans but that shouldn't keep them from considering this satisfying fringe release.