Front 242
Front By Front

THE REVIEW

Take Kraftwerk, give them a coat of black, throw them into hell, and you'll get something akin to the sound of Front 242.

"Front by Front" is perhaps their best album. We're in 1988, and EBM is a genre about to be swallowed by the mainstream (the single Headhunter is proof of that), but Front 242 successfully merges commercial possibilities with a good creative streak and experimentation.
The album opens with the emphatic synths of Until Death, a gloomy and dark song capable of hypnotizing with its cadenced rhythms and sinister vocals, and continues with Circling Overland, even darker and more martial. Worth noting, in my opinion, is the spectacular and adrenaline-pumping (and sacrilegious) Welcome to Paradise, in addition to the aforementioned hit Headhunter.
The tone of the album remains at these standards, with metallic percussion and minimalist sounds distorting cold and alienating melodies, a sound that speaks of the outskirts and social marginalization, able to enchant and engage with its alluring electronic vibrations.

Many have not forgiven them for being popular even outside the electro-industrial circle (especially in America, where they were "played" in many clubs), and indeed, with subsequent works, they may have raised some doubts. Nonetheless, this "Front By Front" remains an important chapter in the history of this musical genre and has influenced many groups, including recently the Prodigy, who have also remixed some of their tracks.