Search - Front 242 :: 06:21:03:11 Up Evil

A long, excellent review from an avid Front 242 fan

Ernest Davis | Kansas City, MO USA | 07/03/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've got a lot of 242 albums, and the one that gets the most play is their most recent studio album, "Pulse." This record and its companion tend to sit in my CD wallets for months on end.



I popped this puppy back into the CD player today, and felt compelled to write this review.



The sound on this album is really interesting. The production, for starters, sounds as if Front 242 were trying to take on the production values of "Psalm 69" by Ministry, which is strange indeed. De Meyer's and 23's vocals are aggressive and grainy, and the vast layers of sound sometimes melt and flow with each other. The album's style is also worth mentioning. I often thought of this album as Front's attempt to create a commercially successful record, but no more. Despite the appearance of some tradtional rock structures, Daniel's and Patrick's masterful electronics pulse with energy, bright synthesizers chirping above their ultra-heavy beats. The basslines are gorgeous, the guitar sounds fit well. The music has an epic, rushing, revolutionary militant style, totally different from the sounds of "Offical Version," "Front by Front," or "Tyranny >For You"

Last gasp from Belgian industrial...

Stochastic | New York, NY | 05/12/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"It's been a full 10 years since Front 242 dished out 06:21:03:11 UP EVIL and 05:20:09:12 OFF, believe it or not. In case you forgot or never learned, Front 242 was a Wax Trax favorite among industrial music in the late eighties/early nineties, among such acts as Nine Inch Nails, Frontline Assembly, Skinny Puppy, et al. 06:21:03:11 UP EVIL should definitely be part of your collection; it is perhaps their hardest and coldest release (save Official Version). Much more lush than earlier releases.In case you were wondering what the cryptic numbers are in the title, it's not hard...each number corresponds to a letter in the alphabet. 01=A, 02=B, etc. You figure it out."

Crushing Front Material

M. D Poe | DC | 02/09/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Who says there are no good double albums? In an explosion of creativity, 242 released this phenomenal set of 'twin' LP's in 1993. 'Up Evil' and 'Off' are outstanding productions that deserve about 9 stars total in my book. Though released in the same year, these albums each have distinct styles and complement eachother quite well. 'Off' is the band's foremost techno-industrial venture, while 'Up Evil' sticks with more of a purist industrial sound. If you're looking to buy only one, fans who liked 1991's 'Tyranny' seem to prefer 'Up Evil,' while 'Front by Front' fans will probably groove to 'Off.' I'd choose 'Off' as the preferred disc, as the Frontmen seem to be at their most ambitious here, going for a more futuristic sound. These albums are the icing on the delicious 242 cake."