There is an old English saying: "The Devil is the most dangerous when he's being pleasant." It is this sentiment that underlies two albums released by the Belgium-based industrial stormtroopers, Front 242, this past summer. The 06:21:03:11 UP EVIL Lp came out in June and represents the dark side of human nature (or should we say...the Devil's nature). The follow-up Lp, 05:22:09:12 OFF, which came out in September, represents our light side, our good-natured side. The albums are as different from each other musically as they are philosophically. UP EVIL is harsh and demonic sounding, while OFF is angelic and ambient, with the pleasant touch of ethereal female vocals. Both maintain the Front 242 trademark of musical experimentation and conceptual exploration. This band has never conformed to the conventional contemporary musical format. From their earlier self-released 7" singles in 1981, "Principles" and "U-Men", to their Herculean Lp efforts like GEOGRAPHY ('82), FRONT X FRONT ('88) and TYRANNY >FOR YOU< ('91), this group of sonic techno-terrorists have always paved their own path along the creative cutting edge. UP EVIL and OFF prove they still have that ability.
"The two albums not only distinguish between good and evil, or light and dark, but also make the distinction between our passive and aggressive sides," explains the band's co-founder and spiritual head, Patrick Codenys. "The general concept is based on the traditional characterization of Satan. (The lord of darkness also happens to make an appearance on the cover of UP EVIL). He was originally an angel, who later fell from grace. He can take positive or negative forms. The positive ones can be the most treacherous because they are used to seduce. This can be seen as a metaphor for human nature itself. UP EVIL and OFF were put together thematically as a screenwriter would put together a script for a film. Each album has a specific theme running through it, and each is musically consistent throughout as well. We brought in harsh guitar distortion for UP EVIL to give it power. Just the opposite atmosphere was desired for OFF, so we used predominately ambient keyboards and vocals."
The recurring themes in the songs on both albums pretty much describe where each Lp is coming from. On UP EVIL, selections like "Mutilate," "Waste," and "Religion" emphatically impart the image of power and destructiveness--the kind of industrial-strength noise Front 242 has become famous for. "Religion" is an eleven minute epic with three distinct parts that are monumental musically as anything Cecil B. Demille did visually. Patrick says that this piece was constructed the way it was for a very specific reason.
"Religion is a part of life that incorporates everything that is important to people--life, death, emotion, faith. We wanted the song to represent all these separate facets. That's why we divided "Religion" up into three parts, and each part was produced by a different person. The Orb did one part, Prodigy did another, and Jim Thirwell another. You can't use just one person or one type of music to represent something so all-encompassing. We deliberately wanted "Religion," as well as the rest of UP EVIL to be monstrous in scale--to be awe-inspiring, even frightening."
This is the same cold, industrial, almost militaristic sound that had some labeling Front 242 as musical fascists. Such belligerent positioning was completely abandoned with the recording of 05:22:09:12 OFF. This is a kinder, gentler Front 242. (But beware! Remember..."the devil is the most dangerous when he's being pleasant.")
"OFF was recorded much more quickly than UP EVIL, " says Patrick. "It's a much more spontaneous and light-hearted record--which of course was by design, not by accident. There is plenty of heavenly-type atmosphere. We found this great sound we were after--very angelic." (If you like evil angels.)
Angels seem to be the theme of OFF. There are no less than three songs with these cherub creatures in their titles--"Modern Angel," "Angels#" and "Angels Speed." Actually, this album should have come before UP EVIL...if indeed Lucifer was an angel before the big fall.
Along with fellow co-founder Daniel B. and longtime band members Jean-Luc DeMeyer and Richard JK, Patrick Codenys takes the industrial movement into uncharted territory. Mixing high-tech hardware with ancient riddles, Front 242 is as daring a band as there is. Their unceasing commitment to experimentation stems from their backgrounds as art school students in Brussels. Abstract design aesthetics combined with computer graphics knowledge allowed them to tinker with a variety of visual and aural arrangements. As the technology in musical instrumentation advanced in the early '80's, so did Patrick's and Daniel's ability to create the kind of music that had been swirling around in their heads for many years.
"Advances in synthesizer technology directly paralleled the advances in our ability to create the kind of music that most interested us," recalls Patrick. "We could create amazing collages of sound by matching the technology to our theoretical knowledge. MIDI created an absolute revolution in the way one could create music. We felt no one else out there was doing it properly, and that was motivation enough for us. Our live shows allowed us to combine these musical collages with visual ones." To see Front 242 live is indeed a multi-sensual experience. It's a trip to the bowels of Hell. Shake hands with the Devil!
Note: Two photos accompanied this article, both of which are from the EPIC press kit.