FGFC820- Law and Ordnance

Written by Matthew Johnson

ARTIST: FGFC820

ALBUM: Law and Ordnance

LABEL: COP International

REVIEWER: Matthew J.

DATE: 2-23-09

With their second full-length release, Dracos and DJ Rexx Arkana continue to pummel the masses with solid, relentless EBM delivered with a definite military flair. While all 14 tracks on this release are aimed straight at the dance floor, the pair does manage to vary things up a little bit, with tracks ranging from the classic stomp of "Hello, Baghdad" to a more terror EBM-inspired sound on tracks like "Not the World I Remember," and "Emotion," all of which set Arkana's distorted rasp of a vocal delivery to pounding kicks and blasting trance sequences. While hints of terror EBM keep FGFC820 feeling contemporary, there are also plenty of nods to the old school, most obviously through a cover of Pop Will Eat Itself's "Ich Bin Ein Auslander," here reworked as a vintage-sounding but evil electro number laced with vinyl scratching. Also, several instrumental interludes give Dracos and Arkana a chance to play with pure rhythm; "Resolution 8," in particular, is a minimalist assemblage of beeping synthesizers and distorted beat loops that recalls the early instrumental works of artists like :Wumpscut: and Leaether Strip. While Dracos and Arkana could've likely gotten away with putting out a relentlessly aggressive album, they've also managed to slip in a few nods to melody that really manage to fill out the sound. "Killing Fields" is brutal but melodic, and a haunting piano part on the bridge really drives home the aggression once the chorus kicks back in. Likewise, "Forsaken" laces an otherwise grim terror EBM track with extra keyboard phrases, courtesy of Noise Process's Michael Renfield, resulting in a track that sticks in your head even off the dance floor. Perhaps the album's best song, however, is "Democracy," a martial thump that doesn't break any new ground, but combines every element, from the sampled bits of marching cadence to the growling vocals to the driving drum sequences, with such precision that it rivals Grendel's "Soilbleed" for the decade's most addictive military EBM track. A solid release from start to finish, this album will have industrial dance fans marching in lockstep in no time at all.

Report to your commanding officers at www.fgfc820.com.