REVIEWS

FGFC820
Law and Ordnance

COP International

Posted: Sunday, March 01, 2009
By: Vlad McNeally

According to Rexx Arkana, his project FGFC820 was born the day the World Trade Center fell. Being avidly pro-military, Arkana and his project were immediately and incorrectly put under scene scrutiny for being pro-neoconservative; however, if one can adjust their glasses, one can figure out that FGFC820 only puts an American and personal twist on the classic industrial theme of man versus government under the pretenses of global war.

While this was the more-or-less the same motif powering their debut, Law and Ordnance</> is far more focused in its execution, both lyrically and musically. Rather unique unto them, FGFC820 manages to be equally retro as they are hard EBM, resulting in a fusion reminiscent of both late WaxTrax! and the modern aggrotech of acts like Tactical Sekt. One of the prime examples of this amalgamation is certainly "Vengeance;" ebbing from tense violins, Orwellian speaker-box announcements, and crying babies, it smoothly segues to a skittering arpeggio buzz and tense drum machine beat. Though its militant snare-flecked cadence evokes memories of classic Front Line Assembly, Rexx's distorted growls and their staccato lead synth brandish the vitriolic bravado of the terror EBM generation. "Killing Fields" may not be a cover of Funker Vogt's career-spawning single, but its whistling synth melody and unyielding bass thump definitely certainly seem to pay homage to them. Over a bickering and sighing chorus of digital strings, "Democracy" Rexx's shout-a-long stanzas puff and chugs to a bounding beat that almost captures the snide humor of acts like KMFDM. In contrast, "Dream for Tomorrow" rides in on a wave of flanged synths and lead-heavy bass, its verses galloping through as syllabic and urgent as its snare-cracking rhythms. Much like the aforementioned Funker Vogt, it later spits out an urgent chorus backed by a dynamic and bold synth riff; it may be reinventing either Vogt or EBM, but it is damned catchy.

While this reviewer is still stymied as to the quality of their lumpy albeit logical choice to cover Pop Will Eat Itself's classic "Ich Bin Ein Auslander," this sophomore effort is certainly a firm step forward for FGFC820.