The Initial Command

The Initial Command
Studio album by
Front Line Assembly
ReleasedDecember 1987 (1987-12)[1]
RecordedAugust 1987 (1987-08)
GenreIndustrial, EBM, electro-industrial
Length48:40 (original release)
62:46 (1997 release)
LabelKK, ROIR, Third Mind, Cleopatra, Zoth Ommog
ProducerBill Leeb, Michael Balch
Front Line Assembly chronology
Total Terror
(1986) 		The Initial Command
(1987) 		State of Mind
(1987)
Alternative cover
Re-release (1997)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Rear GardeFavorable[2]

The Initial Command is the first full-length studio album released by Canadian industrial band Front Line Assembly, released in 1987 through Belgian label KK.[3]

Release

Since the 1987 release of The Initial Command, the album has been re-issued several times. American label ROIR released the album in 1990 on cassette[4] with a different cover. It was the first release of the album in the United States[5] and the second Front Line Assembly album released by ROIR after the band's second album State of Mind.[4] British label Third Mind followed in 1992 with a licensed CD version in the United States. Los Angeles–based Cleopatra's and German Zoth Ommog's release in 1997 contained two new tracks and new cover art. This re-release incorrectly listed the second track "Core" as "Intelligence Dream" while the liner notes have the correct title.[6] "Complexity" and "Core" appear to be new songs at the time of release.[6] Polish label Mecanica issued a vinyl edition of the 1997 release in summer 2002,[7] while Cleopatra re-issued a remastered version of the album on September 3, 2022 on vinyl and with the two bonus tracks on CD.[8]

Production

The music was recorded on a 4-track tape.[9]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Bill Leeb, except where noted

1987 Release
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The State"Bill Leeb, Rhys Fulber6:16
2."Insanity Lurks Nearby" 6:10
3."Casualties"Bill Leeb, Rhys Fulber4:46
4."Ausgang Zum Himmel"Bill Leeb, Rhys Fulber7:14
5."Nine Times" 6:27
6."Black March" 5:59
7."No Control" 6:37
8."Slaughterhouse" 5:11
1997 Re-release
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Complexity" 7:48
2."Core" 6:12
3."The State"Bill Leeb, Rhys Fulber6:17
4."Insanity Lurks Nearby" 6:03
5."Casualties"Bill Leeb, Rhys Fulber4:46
6."Ausgang Zum Himmel"Bill Leeb, Rhys Fulber7:16
7."Nine Times" 6:30
8."Black March" 6:02
9."No Control" 6:40
10."Slaughterhouse" 5:12
Total length:62:46

Personnel

Front Line Assembly

  • Bill Leeb – production, engineering, vocals
  • Michael Balch – production (1987 Release), mixing (1987 Release)
  • Rhys Fulber (1987 Release 1, 3, 4)
  • Chris Peterson – mixing (1997 Re-release 1, 2)

Technical personnel

  • Carylann Loeppky – cover art (1987 Release)
  • David Rosychuk – design (1987 Release), artwork (1987 Release)

References

  1. ^ Levermore, Gary (1997). Front Line Assembly - Reclamation (booklet). Front Line Assembly. New York: Roadrunner. pp. 2–3.
  2. ^ Miller, Greg (April 1988). "Front Line Assembly, The Initial Command". Rear Garde. No. 24. Montreal: Squishy Productions. p. 19. ISSN 1185-1937. OCLC 1081144492. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  3. ^ Woods, Karen (1990). In the Front Line (booklet). Front Line Assembly. New York City: ROIR. 2.
  4. ^ a b Woods, Karen (August 25, 1990). "New Music". Cash Box. Vol. 54, no. 4. New York. p. 11. ISSN 0008-7289. OCLC 436591198. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
  5. ^ Jenkins, Mark (January 25, 1991). "Synthetic Appeal of Industrial Mix". The Washington Post. Washington D.C.: Fred Ryan. ISSN 0190-8286. OCLC 2269358. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
  6. ^ a b "Front Line Assembly > The Initial Command". Mindphaser 3.0. Archived from the original on May 16, 2012. Retrieved April 10, 2010.
  7. ^ van Isacker, Bernard (May 31, 2022). "4 earliest albums of Bill Leeb's Front Line Assembly reissued on double vinyl with bonus tracks". side-line.com. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  8. ^ Yücel, Ilker (July 15, 2021). "Cleopatra Records announces limited edition vinyl reissues of Front Line Assembly's first two albums". ReGen Magazine. Beltsville, Maryland. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
  9. ^ Leeb, Bill (September 1992). "Interview". Flipside (Interview). No. 80. Interviewed by Dan. Pasadena.