Caustic Grip

Caustic Grip
Studio album by
Front Line Assembly
ReleasedAugust 1990
Recorded1989 (1989)–1990 (1990)[1]
StudioVancouver (Vancouver)
GenreElectro-industrial,[2] industrial dance[3]
Length41:29
51:45 (CD)
LabelThird Mind, Wax Trax!, Roadrunner
ProducerBill Leeb, Rhys Fulber
Front Line Assembly chronology
Live
(1989) 		Caustic Grip
(1990) 		Tactical Neural Implant
(1992)
Singles from Caustic Grip
  1. "Iceolate"
    Released: August 6, 1990
  2. "Provision"
    Released: 1990

Caustic Grip is the fifth full-length studio album by Front Line Assembly, originally released on Third Mind Records in Europe and on Wax Trax! Records in the United States in 1990.[4][5]

Background

The album was the first without co-founding member Michael Balch after Rhys Fulber became a full-time member of the band.[2] Originally intended to record the successor to Gashed Senses & Crossfire together with Leeb, Balch took on tour obligations for Ministry and Revolting Cocks. Leeb decided not to wait and started working with Fulber.[1] Fulber had already worked with Leeb on the Total Terror demo[6] and taken part in the Gashed Senses & Crossfire tour.[7]

Caustic Grip also marked the beginning of the long-standing collaboration with Canadian record producer Greg Reely who assumed mixing duties on the album. The band brought him in because they were impressed by his work with other electronic bands and his reputation.[1] The recording was funded with a budget of $20,000 by Third Mind's Gary Levermore.[1]

Production

The band wrote and programmed the whole album in Leeb's apartment with analog equipment, a turntable and a cassette deck, while mixing and recording of the vocals took place at Vancouver Studios within ten days.[1]

Release

The album was reissued by Roadrunner in 1992[8] and in 2003 as part of a two-disc set that also includes the Gashed Senses & Crossfire album.[9] Up until the year 1994, when Roadrunner acquired the rights to all Third Mind releases, Caustic Grip sold at least 70,000 units.[1]

In October 2019, Canadian label Artoffact started a crowdfunding campaign in order to obtain the album licenses and to re-release the album on vinyl on May 4, 2020.[10][11]

Singles

"Iceolate" is the first single taken from Caustic Grip. The single was released on August 6, 1990, through Third Mind in Europe and in the United States via Wax Trax!. Along with the original version of the title track the single contains CD-only track "Mental Distortion" and on the CD single a remix of "Iceolate". A promotional music video for "Iceolate" was created and received airplay on MTV. The track also was ranked 85 in the COMA Music Magazine feature 101 Greatest Industrial Songs of All Time.[12]

The second single from the album was "Provision". It contains the original version of the title track as well as a remix of album track "Overkill".

Music magazine Melody Maker made both album singles single of the week in 1990.[13]

The following single, "Virus", features a non-album track of the same name and was released on February 21, 1991, through Third Mind for Europe and by Wax Trax in the United States. It was created during the sessions for Caustic Grip.[14] The different release formats include tracks also appearing on the album – "Provision", "Iceolate" and "Mental Distortion" – as well as remixes of "Virus", "Resist" and "Overkill".

All singles, together with the "Mindphaser" single, were re-released in 1998 on the compilation album The Singles: Four Fit through Zoth Ommog.[15]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Jersey BeatFavorable[3]
Select[16]

The single "Virus" was well received in Billboard's single reviews: "Cream of the industrial crop threatens to shatter club walls with ear-blasting sonic rave."[17]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Bill Leeb and Rhys Fulber

No.TitleLength
1."Resist"5:25
2."Victim"5:06
3."Overkill"5:23
4."Forge"4:21
5."Provision"6:09
6."Force Fed"4:41
7."Iceolate"5:13
8."Threshold"5:11
CD only tracks
No.TitleLength
9."Mental Distortion"6:50
10."The Chair"3:26

Personnel

Front Line Assembly

Additional musicians

  • Jeff Stoddard – guitar (5)

Technical personnel

  • Greg Reely – mixing
  • Ken Marshall – studio technician
  • Steve Royea – studio technician
  • Christian Mumenthaler – computer images
  • Sleeping Partner – design

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Leeb, Bill; Fulber, Rhys; Levermore, Gary (December 18, 2015). "Front Line Assembly "Caustic Grip" Retrospective". Release Magazine (Interview). Interviewed by Johan Carlsson. Gothenburg: Release Musik & Media. Archived from the original on December 21, 2015. Retrieved February 14, 2016.
  2. ^ a b c Rivadavia, Eduardo. Front Line Assembly: Caustic Grip at AllMusic. Retrieved March 24, 2014.
  3. ^ a b Hale, Michael (Winter 1991). "Front Line Assembly - Caustic Grip (Wax Trax)". Jersey Beat. No. 42. Weehawken, New Jersey: Jim Testa. OCLC 61204132. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  4. ^ "Front Line Assembly - Caustic Grip". Wax Trax! Records. Retrieved March 27, 2014.
  5. ^ "Front Line Assembly > Caustic Grip". Archived from the original on May 16, 2012. Retrieved March 27, 2014.
  6. ^ "Rhys Fulber > Biography". Mindphaser.com. Archived from the original on May 10, 2012. Retrieved February 14, 2016.
  7. ^ Levermore, Gary (1997). Front Line Assembly - Reclamation (booklet). Front Line Assembly. New York City: Roadrunner. pp. 2–3.
  8. ^ "Front Line Assembly - Caustic Grip". Roadrunner Records. Retrieved March 27, 2014.
  9. ^ Sendra, Tim. Front Line Assembly: Caustic Grip/Gashed Senses and Crossfire > Overview at AllMusic. Retrieved March 27, 2014.
  10. ^ Carlsson, Johan (October 29, 2019). "Do you love Front Line Assembly and have $325 to spare?". Release Magazine. Gothenburg: Release Musik & Media. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  11. ^ Yücel, Ilker (October 28, 2019). "Front Line Assembly announces new box set collecting iconic albums". ReGen Magazine. Beltsville, Maryland. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  12. ^ Schock, David (March 9, 2012). "101 Greatest Industrial Songs of All Time'". COMA Music Magazine. Archived from the original on November 6, 2014. Retrieved April 22, 2014.
  13. ^ Reed, S. Alexander (2013). Assimilate: a critical history of industrial music. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 3. ISBN 978-0-19-983260-6.
  14. ^ "Interview: Front Line Assembly - 2/29/96". Sonic Boom Magazine. February 29, 1996. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
  15. ^ "Front Line Assembly > The Singles: Four Fit". Mindphaser.com. Archived from the original on May 31, 2012. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
  16. ^ Terry, Nick (September 1990). "Frontline Assembly: Caustic Grip" (JPG). Select. p. 80. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
  17. ^ "Single Reviews". Billboard. Vol. 103, no. 9. New York: BPI Communications. March 2, 1991. p. 77. ISSN 0006-2510. OCLC 4086332.