WarMech is a video game soundtrack album by Vancouver-based electro-industrial band Front Line Assembly. The album was released through Artoffact Records on June 22, 2018 as the soundtrack to Carbon Games' AirMech Wastelands, a sequel to the 2012 video game AirMech that also featured a soundtrack by Front Line Assembly.[9] WarMech features Jeremy Inkel's final recordings,[10] as he died on January 11, 2018.[11]
| WarMech | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Soundtrack album by | ||||
| Released | June 22, 2018 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 73:21 | |||
| Label | Artoffact Records | |||
| Producer |
| |||
| Front Line Assembly chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| I Die: You Die | Favorable[1] |
| Overdrive | Favorable[5] |
| Reflections of Darkness | 8.5/10[6] |
| ReGen | Favorable[2] |
| Release | 7/10[4] |
| Side-Line | 7.5/10[7] |
| Spectrum Culture |    [3] |
| The Spill Magazine | [8] |
Background and production
editAlready having been a fan of Bill Leeb's various projects,[12] Carbon Games founder James Green had approached the band for WarMech and its predecessor album AirMech because "I wanted to work with Bill/FLA for our games [for] the same reason I love the music as a fan. It's more of a signature Bill Leeb thing in fact, as you can hear it across all his music projects - the complex layering and build up of songs. [...] Having something with the depth and texture you find in FLA songs is exactly what I wanted."[12]
During the production period of some fifteen months Carbon Games gave the band complete artistic freedom, a process both parties described as easy-going. Carbon Games as well as Front Line Assembly considered the album a big improvement over the already well-received AirMech.[12][13]
While Leeb saw AirMech as a learning experience, he emphasized the importance of the extensive dubstep programming "with different types of dubstepping" for WarMech: "In some of the songs they are the real key elements. It's more intense in that way, we just pushed it to another level."[13]
Release
editThe songs "Mechvirus" and "Molotov" were released for early streaming through the group's Bandcamp account.[14][15]
The original intention of Carbon Games was to issue a physical release of the album themselves. Talks with label Artoffact about the vinyl edition lead to Artoffact assuming responsibilities also for the CD issue.[12]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Bill Leeb, Jeremy Inkel, Jared Slingerland, Sasha Keevil, Craig Johnsen
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Mechvirus" | 6:33 |
| 2. | "Anthropod" | 5:45 |
| 3. | "Heatmap" | 6:21 |
| 4. | "The Imminent" | 4:54 |
| 5. | "Force Carrier" | 5:17 |
| 6. | "Meteorfall" | 6:49 |
| 7. | "Molotov" | 5:30 |
| 8. | "Rip Sensor" | 7:31 |
| 9. | "The Eminent" | 6:11 |
| 10. | "Mechanism" | 6:07 |
| 11. | "Earthriser" | 5:48 |
| 12. | "Creator" | 6:35 |
Personnel
editCredits adapted from WarMech liner notes.[16]
Front Line Assembly
edit- Bill Leeb – vocals, electronic instruments, production
- Jared Slingerland – electronic instruments, production
- Jeremy Inkel – strings recording, electronic instruments, production
- Sasha Keevil – electronic instruments, production
- Craig Johnson – electronic instruments, production
Additional musicians
edit- Jason Bazinet – additional samples
Technical personnel
edit- Dave McKean – album art
Chart history
edit| Chart (2018) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| German Alternative Albums (Deutsche Alternative Charts)[17] | 3 |
References
edit- ^ a b "Front Line Assembly, "WarMech"". I Die: You Die. June 22, 2018. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
- ^ a b Leach, Douglas (July 5, 2018). "Front Line Assembly – WarMech". ReGen Magazine. Beltsville, Maryland. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
- ^ a b Wright, Darryl G. (July 17, 2018). "Front Line Assembly: Warmech". spectrumculture.com. Retrieved July 21, 2018.
- ^ a b Carlsson, Johan (June 21, 2018). "Front Line Assembly – Warmech". Release. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
- ^ Allan, Lewis (July 17, 2018). "Front Line Assembly 'WarMech' Album Review". overdrive-mag.com. Archived from the original on July 22, 2018. Retrieved July 21, 2018.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ Uhlenbruch, J. Niggels (July 18, 2018). "CD Review: Front Line Assembly - WarMech". reflectionsofdarkness.com. Münster. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
- ^ "Front Line Assembly – WarMech (CD Album – Artoffact Records)". side-line.com. August 1, 2018. Retrieved August 4, 2018.
- ^ Badgley, Aaron (22 June 2018). "Front Line Assembly: WarMech". The Spill Magazine. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
- ^ Carlsson, Johan. "Front Line Assembly to finally release "Warmech"". Release Magazine. Retrieved May 11, 2018.
- ^ "Front Line Assembly reveal WarMech". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
- ^ "Jeremy Michel Neville Inkel". Legacy.com. 24 January 2018. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
- ^ a b c d Green, James (June 3, 2018). "Carbon Games' Founder Talks About Working With Front Line Assembly For Soundtrack On Their New Game 'Airmech: Wastelands'". brutalresonance.com (Interview). Interviewed by Steven Gullotta. Sweden. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
- ^ a b Leeb, Bill (November 5, 2018). "Welcome to the future – Front Line Assembly interviewed in Hamburg". releasemagazine.net (Interview). Interviewed by Jimi Nilsson. Gothenburg: Release Musik & Media. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
- ^ "Front Line Assembly Streams First Track from WarMech". The Spill Magazine. 11 May 2018. Retrieved May 11, 2018.
- ^ Barkan, Jonathan (22 May 2018). "Exclusive: Front Line Assembly Light a Fire with "Molotov"". Dread Central. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
- ^ WarMech (digital liner notes). Artoffact Records. 2018. Retrieved May 11, 2018.
- ^ "Deutsche Alternative Charts Kategorie: Album". Retrieved July 4, 2018.
External links
edit- WarMech on the Steam platform
- AirMech Wastelands on the Steam platform
- AirMech site at Carbon Games