Rating: 4.5 out of 6 stars

Metropolis; 2007

Fallout, a remix EP from Front Line Assembly, is a real treat. Comprised mainly of remixes from their recent Artificial Soldier album, Fallout also contains some previously un-released tracks that do not disappoint, finding most of its strength in dance-friend remixes and a handful of new tracks from FLA. Opening with a “Mindless Mix” of the opening track of Artificial Soldier called “Unleashed,” this track sets the stage with a floor-smashing beat as if those that wanted to remix this track wanted to demolish every beat. It is an unstable vibe, but that is what makes much of this album, with its post-apocalyptic artwork, so enjoyable.

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Rating: 5 out of 6 stars

Interscope; 2007

Nine Inch Nail’s fifth full album entitled Year Zero (Halo 24) gave me a shock that had nothing to do with Trent Reznor’s often hostile lyrics. It’s not the coolest thing I have ever seen, but on that day, it made me do a quadruple-take: on release day I put the disc into my car stereo as a black CD, and when I arrived home and ejected the disc, it had turned mostly white. What was left over was bits of binary code and other bits of ‘digital’-looking imagery. This almost thoroughly boring anecdote is meant to illustrate that even after 19 year of existence, Trent Reznor’s Nine Inch Nails is still trying its best to surprise and be innovative with their fans. And, this is quite evident in the music itself of Year Zero.

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