Echogenetic
| Echogenetic | ||||
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| Studio album by Front Line Assembly | ||||
| Released | July 9, 2013 | |||
| Genre | Electro-industrial, EBM, dubstep | |||
| Length | 58:31 | |||
| Label | Metropolis, Dependent | |||
| Producer | Bill Leeb, Jeremy Inkel, Jared Slingerland, Craig Johnsen, Sasha Keevill | |||
| Front Line Assembly chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Barcode | 9/10 |
| Brutal Resonance | 9.5/10 |
| Chain D.L.K. |   |
| FEARnet | Favorable |
| Intravenous | Favorable |
| Louder Than War | Favorable |
| Pop Blerd | Grade: A |
| ReGen |  |
| Release | 8/10 |
| Sputnikmusic | |
Echogenetic is a studio album by Vancouver industrial band Front Line Assembly, released on July 9, 2013. It was well received both by critics and fans and charted in German and US charts. Critics commented on the band's return to a purely electronic approach and on the dubstep influence on the album. Front Line Assembly toured extensively in Europe and North America in support of this album and remix follow-up Echoes, which included a tour with vocalist and band leader Bill Leeb's former band Skinny Puppy.
Bill Leeb called predecessor album AirMech a "really cool warm-up" for the production of Echogenetic and added: "We just thought we should just continue on and evolve and keep that going for the new Front Line record."
Leeb also commented on the fact that the writing process in the band changed with the growing number of writers. "In the really early days it was just me and Rhys and then me and Chris", Leeb said, comparing the situation with the current composer line-up: "This time there were five of us: Jeremy [Inkel] and his friend Sasha [Keevill] were in one camp, and then Jared [Slingerland] and his right hand guy Craig [Johnsen] were in the other camp." The process involved Leeb "jumping between two studios" and the group getting together "every two or three weeks and critique everything, go over things" and "add new elements to each others' work." Leeb expressed his relief that more shoulders than in past line-ups shared the workload.
For the first time in their history the band set a deadline for an album to be completed. The band broke new ground for themselves with their style of songwriting. "With the new stuff, there's a process called ducking and chaining", explained Leeb, "it's focusing more on the actual sound and timing of it." According to Leeb, "it's what makes it sound different and interesting." In contrast to the experimental nature of the writing process, Leeb called the abandoning of guitars "really my only conscious effort this time." The reason for this decision was to "just go back to what influenced me when I started Front Line."
Advancements in computer technology influenced the songwriting as well. Leeb stated that the use of virtual synthesizers and other software simplified composing, and since the band need not enter a recording studio, made production more affordable. This affected the working routine with long-time engineer and mixer Greg Reely: "With this new record, [...] when we have songs we'd send them to Greg, he would mix and send them back and we'd spend a week listening and be 'well, we like this' and 'we want to change that'." Leeb emphasized the role Reely played in producing Echogenetic, saying, "when you work with him for over 25 years it just like with every good relationship, it just evolves." Thus Leeb considered Reely's work "a big bonus for us."
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