On this day, 28 years ago, Front 242 released their seventh studio album 05:22:09:12 Off or simply pronounced as “EVIL Off” as each letter preceding “Off” is represented by its equivalent numerical position in the alphabet. It was released by Red Rhino Europe, a sub-label of Play It Again Sam, on 23 August, only three months after their sixth studio album, 06:21:03:11 Up Evil. Sony released 05:22:09:12 Off worldwide on 2nd November 1993 through their Epic sub-label.
Upon its release the album was received with mixed feelings by fans and music critics. For the first time it featured female vocals, those of Christine "99" Kowalski, while Jean-Luc De Meyer only appeared on a few tracks. EVIL OFF also seem to have had no significant input from Richard 23 who also didn’t get cited on the album's liner-notes. On the other hand, a variety of new contributors were listed as members of Front 242 on these albums, for instance Jean-Marc Pauly and Pierre Pauly of the Belgian electronic band Parade Ground.
While most electro industrial bands stuck to their ‘successful’ 4/4 beat formula, Front 242 decided to leave this well-trodden path behind and embraced new musical styles and elements emerging in the electronic scene music at the time. The ambient and rhythmic atmosphere on the album can be seen as groundbreaking and innovative in those days, however the sudden style change left many Front 242 confused ranters behind.
However, we at Peek-a-Boo Magazine encourage you to dig these albums up from your archive and to listen to them again at high volume! Just like wine, this music, and most likely your brain too, needed some aging!
Front 242 – 05:22:09:12 Off (RRE 22 CD)
| 1 | Animal (Cage) | 3:00 | |
| 2 | Animal (Gate) | 3:02 | |
| 3 | Animal (Guide) | 2:44 | |
| 4 | Modern Angel | 4:12 | |
| 5 | Junkdrome | 7:35 | |
| 6 | Serial Killers Don't Kill Their Girlfriend | 5:58 | |
| 7 | Skin (Fur Coat) | 3:59 | |
| 8 | GenEcide | 6:53 | |
| 9 | Crushed | 6:13 | |
| 10 | OffEND | 1:38 | |
| 11 | Animal (Zoo) | 4:02 | |
| 12 | Serial Killers Don't Kill Their Boyfriend | 3:09 | |
| 13 | Happiness (More Angels) | 6:39 | |
| 14 | Crushed (Obscene) | 4:09 | |
| 15 | Melt (Again) | 5:06 | |
| 16 | Speed Angels | 2:52 |
Darkwave Duo, THE COLD FIELD Bring Triumph Against Darkness With New Album, 'Hollows'
Darkwave duo THE COLD FIELD has just unveiled their highly-anticipated new full-length album, Hollows.
Conceived when hospitalized, songwriter and producer Ian Messenger wrote and produced a prolific forty-odd dark-minded songs the following year, of which ten were chosen for Hollows..
Depressive themes of gloom and emptiness pervade the album but there is also a triumph against the darkness, a fist-waving into the void, and intimacy along with detachment.
Built on the sonic foundations of drum machines, bass guitar, synthesizers, electric guitars and distorted, cavernous vocals, THE COLD FIELD’s sound not only harks back to the early 80’s and Joy Division but contemporary bands such as Lebanon Hanover and Soft Kill.
Available on CD, vinyl LP and digital formats from COLD TRANSMISSION MUSIC
Electro-Industrial Band UNITCODE:MACHINE Turns Loss & Regret Into 'Themes For A Collapsing Empire'
Electro-Industrial Band, UNITCODE:MACHINE has unleashed their new full-length album, Themes For A Collapsing Empire. After three weeks on the DAC (Deutch Alternative Charts) and two successful singles, this new release comes as highly-anticipated.
Themes For A Collapsing Empire is a journey through the mind of Eric Kristoffer after a series of tragic events that 2020 brought. It explores a path of loss and regret, and struggling to cope with such stressful personal events while also trying to endure a global pandemic.
This release is written more from the perspective of Eric the person, and less UNITCODE:MACHINE the project.
Themes For A Collapsing Empire is available NOW on CD and digital formats.
Industrial Band MALICE MACHINE Turns A Hostile World Into 'Chemical Violence'
Pennsylvania-based industrial band MALICE MACHINE have just unleashed their highly anticipated new full-length album Chemical Violence.
The lyrics on Chemical Violence express some of the darker sides of our nature. Cold landscapes combined with twisted and tortured concepts of what reality is or what the human experience can be for some of us. It's not always a pleasant journey. One thing is certain; this sick machine will grind all of us down eventually.
All songs are written by Syn and Ammo and recorded and mastered by Syn at Prototype Studio. "Restrict" and "Dead Circuit" were co-produced and mixed by John Bechdel from MINISTRY.
For fans of: FRONT LINE ASSEMBLY, KMFDM & :WUMPSCUT:
Today, it’s exactly 32 years ago that Nitzer Ebb released Join In The Chant (12mute64 / 10th August 1987).
It was the 3rd and last single to be taken from their debut album That Total Age. Like the album this 7” / 12” was released by the renowned British label Mute Records. The song hit #9 on the US dance chart in 1987 and became a Balearic Beat anthem in clubs around the world. Even to this day this track is still a dance floor filler.
Tracklist 12"
A1. Join In The Chant (Burn!) - Remix by Phil Harding
B1. Join In The Chant (Gold!) - Remix by Miller*, Flood
B2. Join In The Chant (Lies! - Instrumental)
Lyrics
Lies, lies, lies, lies
Gold, gold, gold, gold
Guns, guns, guns, guns
Fire, fire, fire
Gold, gold, gold, gold
Church, church, church, church
Guns, guns, guns, guns
Fire, fire, fire
Muscle and hate
Muscle and hate
Muscle, muscle, muscle, muscle
Lies, lies, lies, lies
Books, books, books, books
Burn, burn, burn, burn
Fire, fire, fire
