
Front Line Assembly
Front Line Assembly is the primary focus of Vancouver-based musician Bill Leeb. A founding member of Skinny Puppy, Leeb moved on to form FLA in 1986 with Michael Balch, releasing some cassettes (since released as Total Terror I & II) which paved the way for their 1987 releases: The Initial Command, State of Mind, and Corrosion. In late 1988, they recorded the mini-LP Disorder, since combined with Corrosion and released as Corroded Disorder. Their 1989 release, Gashed Senses and Crossfire, further cemented their popularity in the industrial scene, and prompted their first world tour. By 1990, Balch had departed and Rhys Fulber rounded out the duo, releasing Caustic Grip. But it was two years later when the duo released what for many has become the genre's crowning moment, the classic album Tactical Neural Implant, which to this day still defines the best of industrial music.
FLA enraged many of their fans in 1994 when they began to experiment with their established electronic-only sound. Millenium, with its heavy doses of live and sampled metal guitars, dared its audience to grow and expand with the band beyond industrial's perceived barriers. Front Line stepped to the firing line again in 1995 with Hard Wired, which reflected both a return to form and a continued embracing of the guitar. Hard Wired not only picked up where Implant left off, it improved on the sound by adding in elements of all of their side projects. A fall European tour was recorded for the 1996 release Live Wired, their first concert CD ever. Also in 1996, Front Line Assembly followed up Hard Wired with two CD singles, "Circuitry" and "Plasticity", and toured North America with Numb and Die Krupps.
1997 saw the first realignment of Front Line Assembly since 1990, with the departure of Rhys Fulber and the addition of Chris Peterson to the ranks. Front Line's 1998 album, FLAvor of the Weak, featured the band's first flirtation with electronica. Re-Wind, a twin CD of remixes, followed later that year. The duo then released Implode in 1999, and Epitaph in 2001. Epitaph exhibited building intros, trancy synth lines, pulsing beats, and solid melodies, which proved to be contagious anthems for a new future of industrial music.
After the 2001 release of Epitaph, another changing of the FLA "guard" occurred: Chris Peterson left, and original member, Rhys Fulber (Fear Factory, Conjour One) returned. The newly charged Front Line Assembly delivered the highly anticipated Maniacal single in late 2003. The successful single laid the ground work for the 2004 album Civilization, and Vanished EP which featured three unreleased tracks.
Then finally in 2005 came the event that everyone was waiting for, a Front Line Assembly fusion. Bill Leeb, Rhys Fulber, and Chris Peterson with new members Jeremy Inkel, Adrian White, and Jarod Slingerland began working on the 2006 album, Artificial Soldier. The newly re-formed line-up managed to create an album that no only lived up to the expectations of Front Line Assembly fans, but surpassed them. Heavy pounding beats, atmospheric strings, percolating melodies, dynamic synths and Bill Leebs trademark vocals couldnt be fused together any tighter if you tried to do it at an atomic level. As if all of those factors werent enough, two guest vocalists appear on Artificial Soldier Eskil Simonsson from Covenant (on "The Storm") and Jean-Luc De Meyer from Front 242 (on "Future Fail")! After the release of the album, the band embarked on a successful world tour, and released the remix album Fallout one year later.
Throughout the years, FLA has seen many line-up changes. Bill Leeb remains the constant behind the band. For 2010, a new line-up has emerged featuring Jeremy Inkel, Chris Peterson on programming duties, and Jared Slingerland on Guitars, and FLA has been joined by Three Inches of Blood guitarist Justin Hagberg, and guest keyboardist Craig Huxtable of Landscape Body Machine.
The result of this reinvigorated lineup is the all new album Improvised. Electronic. Device. As well as the Shifting Through The Lens single. The new songs demonstrate that FLA has not lost its edge over the past almost two and a half decades. And as if Front Line Assemblys legacy and namesake alone werent enough for the album, Al Jougensen from Ministry contributes his vocals to the song Stupidity.
Bill's work can also be heard on a wide number of side projects, including Noise Unit, Delerium, InterMix, Cyberaktif, Equinox, and Synaesthesia. Bill has also contributed music to the popular video game, Quake 3 - The Arena.
Playlist
| track | album | listen |
|---|---|---|
| Der Angriff (Skold Mix) | Angriff [Remix] (Digital Only) | |
| Day Of Violence | Improvised. Electronic. Device. (Deluxe) | |
| Attack The Masses | Improvised. Electronic. Device. (Deluxe) | |
| Angriff | Improvised. Electronic. Device. | |
| Beneath The Rubble (Combichrist Remix) | Fallout | |
| Unleashed | Artificial Soldier | |
| Vanished (Illusions of Grandeur Mix) | Vanished | |
| Psychosomatic | Civilization | |
| Maniacal | Maniacal | |
| Dead Planet | Epitaph | |
| Everything Must Perish | Everything Must Perish | |
| Prophecy (Remixed By Haujobb) | Fatalist | |
| Retribution | Implode | |
| Prophecy | Prophecy | |
| Predator (Cease & Destroy Mix) | Re-Wind | |
| Comatose (Valium 15 mg) | Comatose | |
| Corruption | Flavour Of The Weak | |
| Columbian Necktie (tongue fed edit) | Colombian Necktie | |
| Vigilante (Live) | Live Wired | |
| Plasticity | Plasticity | |
| Paralyzed | Hard Wired | |
| Circuitry (Predator Mix) | Circuitry |
Discography
| ECHOGENETIC · MET 885· COMING JUL 09 · 1. Resonance 2. Leveled 3. Killing Grounds 4. Blood 5. Deadened 6. Ghosts 7. Echogenetic 8. Exhale 9. Exo 10. Prototype 11. Heartquake | |
| AIRMECH · MET 831D· 1. AirMech 2. Arise 3. Pulse Charge 4. Prep for Combat 5. System Anomaly 6. Mech Killer 7. Everything That Was Before 8. Lose 9. Burning Skyline 10. Stealth Mech 11. Death Level 12. Prime Empiricism | |
| AIRMECH · MET 831· 1. AirMech 2. Arise 3. Pulse Charge 4. Prep for Combat 5. System Anomaly 6. Mech Killer 7. Everything That Was Before 8. Lose 9. Burning Skyline 10. Stealth Mech 11. Death Level 12. Prime Empiricism | |
| ANGRIFF [REMIX] (DIGITAL ONLY) · MET 694D· 1. Angriff (Radioactive Mix) 2. Angriff (Mindless Faith Mix) 3. Angriff (Radio Edit) 4. Der Angriff (Skold Mix) 5. Freakuency 6. Angriff (Mind.In.A.Box Mix) 7. Angriff (Project Pitchfork Mix) | |
| IMPROVISED. ELECTRONIC. DEVICE. (DELUXE) · MET 9660D· 1. I. E. D. 2. Angriff 3. Hostage 4. Release 5. Shifting Through The Lens (Extended Version) 6. Laws of Deception 7. Pressure Wave 8. Afterlife 9. Stupidity (featuring Al Jourgensen) 10. Downfall 11. Day Of Violence 12. Attack The Masses | |
| IMPROVISED. ELECTRONIC. DEVICE. · MET 660D· 1. I. E. D. 2. Angriff 3. Hostage 4. Release 5. Shifting Through The Lens (Extended Version) 6. Laws of Deception 7. Pressure Wave 8. Afterlife 9. Stupidity (featuring Al Jourgensen) 10. Downfall | |
| IMPROVISED. ELECTRONIC. DEVICE · MET 660· 1. I. E. D. 2. Angriff 3. Hostage 4. Release 5. Shifting Through The Lens 6. Laws Of Deception 7. Pressure Wave 8. Afterlife 9. Stupidity (featuring Al Jourgensen) 10. Downfall | |
| SHIFTING THROUGH THE LENS · MET 658D· 1. Shifting Through The Lens (Extended Version) 2. Angriff 3. Endless Void 4. Shifting Through The Lens (Edit) | |
| SHIFTING THROUGH THE LENS · MET 658· 1. Shifting Through The Lens 2. Angriff 3. Endless void | |
| FALLOUT · MET 483D· 1. Unleashed (Mindless Mix By Sebastian R. Komor) 2. Buried Alive (DJ (?) Acucrack Mix By Jason Novak) 3. Beneath The Rubble (Combichrist Remix) 4. Electric Dreams 5. Armageddon 6. Social Enemy (Anti-Social Mix By Jeremy Inkel) 7. Lowlife (Remix By Portion Control) 8. Humanity (Kearly Edit Remix BY Dan Kearley) 9. Reprobate (Lowlife) (Remixed By Greg Reely) 10. Domination (Unleashed) (Remixed By Rhys Fulber) 11. The Storm (Covenant Remix) 12. Unconscious | |
| FALLOUT · MET 483· 1. Unleashed (Mindless Mix by Sebastian R. Komor) 6:18 2. Buried Alive (Dj (?) Acucrack Mix by Jason Novak) 6:15 3. Beneath The Rubble (Combichrist Remix) 6:14 4. Electric Dreams 4:41 5. Armageddon 6:03 6. Social Enemy (Anti-Social Mix by Jeremy Inkel) 7:03 7. Lowlife (Remix by Portion Control) 4:18 8. Humanity (Kearley Edit Remix by Dan Kearley) 7:05 9. Reprobate (Lowlife) (Remixed by Greg Reely) 5:48 10. Domination (Unleashed) (Remixed by Rhys Fulber) 4:35 11. The Storm (Covenant Remix) 7:05 12. Unconscious 5:09 | |
| ARTIFICIAL SOLDIER · MET 431D· 1. Unleashed 2. Low Life 3. Beneath The Rubble 4. Dissension 5. Buried Alive 6. Dopamine 7. Social Enemy 8. Future Fail (Featuring Jean-Luc De Meyer From Front 242) 9. The Storm (Featuring Eskil Simonsson From Covenant) 10. Humanity (World War 3) | |
| ARTIFICIAL SOLDIER · MET 431· 1. Unleashed 2. Low Life 3. Beneath The Rubble 4. Dissension 5. Buried Alive 6. Dopamine 7. Social Enemy 8. Future Fail 9. The Storm 10. Humanity (World War Three) | |
| VANISHED · MET 323D· 1. Vanished (Illusions of Grandeur Mix) 2. Stürm 3. Disseminate 4. Uncivilized 5. Vanished (Re-entry Mix) | |
| VANISHED · MET 323· 1. Vanished (Illusions of Grandeur Mix) 2. Sturm 3. Disseminate 4. Uncivilized 5. Vanished (Re-entry mix) | |
| CIVILIZATION · MET 303D· 1. Psychosomatic 2. Maniacal 3. Transmitter 4. Vanished 5. Strategic 6. Civilization 7. Fragmented 8. Parasite 9. Dissident 10. Schicksal | |
| CIVILIZATION · MET 303· 1. Psychosomatic 2. Maniacal 3. Fragmented 4. Vanished 5. Strategic 6. Civilization 7. Transmitter (Come Together) 8. Dissident 9. Schicksal | |
| MANIACAL · MET 298D· 1. Maniacal 2. Maniacal (Repercussion Mix) 3. Anti | |
| MANIACAL · MET 298· 1. Maniacal 2. Maniacal (repercussion mix) 3. Anti | |
| EPITAPH - LIMITED EDITION · MET 224L· 1. Haloed 2. Dead Planet 3. Backlash 4. Epitaph 5. Everything Must Perish 6. Conscience 7. Decoy 8. Insolence 9. Krank it up 10. Existance | |
| EPITAPH · MET 224D· 1. Haloed 2. Dead Planet 3. Backlash 4. Epitaph 5. Everything Must Perish 6. Conscience 7. Decoy 8. Insolence 9. Krank It Up 10. Existance | |
| EPITAPH · MET 224· 1. Halved 2. Dead Planet 3. Backlash 4. Epitaph 5. Everything Must Perish 6. Conscience 7. Decoy 8. Insolence 9. Krank It Up 10. Existance | |
| EVERYTHING MUST PERISH · MET 223D· 1. Everything Must Perish 2. Everything Must Perish (Radio Edit) 3. Providence | |
| EVERYTHING MUST PERISH · MET 223· 1. Everything Must Perish 2. Everything Must Perish (Radio edit) 3. Providence | |
| FATALIST · MET 148D· 1. Fatalist (Remixed And Additional Production By Rhys Fulber) 2. Retribution (Dioxin Mix By Front 242) 3. Deception 4. Fatalist (Remixed By Aqualite) 5. Prophecy (Remixed By Haujobb) 6. Fatalist (Remixed By Tribal Techno) | |
| IMPLODE · MET 136D· 1. Retribution 2. Fatalist 3. Prophecy 4. Synthetic Forms 5. Falling 6. Don't Trust Anyone 7. Unknown Dreams 8. Torched 9. Machine Slave 10. Silent Ceremony | |
| IMPLODE · MET 136· 1. Retribution 2. Fatalist 3. Prophecy 4. Synthetic Forms 5. Falling 6. Don't Trust Anyone 7. Unknown Dreams 8. Torched 9. Machine Slave 10. Silent Ceremony | |
| PROPHECY · MET 132D· 1. Prophecy 2. Prophecy (Radio One) 3. Prophecy (Yk2000 Mix) 4. Unknown Dreams (Radio Two) 5. Paralysis | |
| RE-WIND · MET 103D· 1. Predator (Cease & Destroy Mix) 2. Aftermath (We All Shall Perish Mix) 3. Electrocution (Shocker Mix) 4. Life (Suck It Up Mix) 5. Oblivion (Was It Worth It Mix) 6. Colombian Necktie (Loose Lips) 7. Comatose (ReEntry Mix) 8. Comatose (Grisha Mix by Front 242) 9. Predator (Final Mix by Collide) 10. Evil Playground (Chainsaw Mix by Tim Schuldt) 11. Life = Leben (Anderes Leben by Kalte Farben) 12. Comatose (v2.0 by Eat Static) 13. Colombian Necktie (Grit Your Teeth Mix by Cydonia) 14. Auto Erotic (Abstinence Mix by Fini Tribe) | |
| RE-WIND · MET 103· DISC 1 // 1. Predator (Cease & Destroy Mix) 2. Aftermath (We All Shall Perish Mix) 3. Electrocution (Shocker Mix) 4. Life (Suck It Up Mix) 5. Oblivion (Was It Worth It Mix) 6. Colombian Necktie (Loose Lips) 7. Comatose (Re-Entry Mix) | |
| COMATOSE · MET 086D· 1. Comatose (Valium 15 mg) 2. Comatose (Ketamin 45 mg) 3. Oblivion 4. Comatose (Prozac 75 mg) | |
| FLAVOUR OF THE WEAK · MET 077D· 1. Corruption 2. Sado-Masochist 3. Autoerotic 4. Colombian Necktie 5. Evil Playground 6. Comatose 7. Life=Leben 8. Predator | |
| FLAVOUR OF THE WEAK · MET 077· 1. Corruption 2. Sado-Masochist 3. Autoerotic 4. Columbian Necktie 5. Evil Playground 6. Comatose 7. Life = Leben 8. Predator | |
| COLOMBIAN NECKTIE · MET 073D· 1. Columbian Necktie (tongue fed edit) 2. Deadlock 3. Electrocution 4. Columbian Necktie (GOArge mix) | |
| LIVE WIRED · MET 027D· 1. Mortal (Live) 2. Vigilante (Live) 3. Circuitry (Live) 4. Bio-Mechanic (Live) 5. Resist (Live) 6. Surface Patterns (Live) 7. Plasticity (Live) 8. Modus Operandi (Live) 9. Liquid Separation (Live) 10. Gun (Live) 11. Overkill (Live) 12. Millennium (Live) 13. Condemned (Live) 14. Mindphaser (Live) 15. Neologic Spasm (Live) 16. Body Count (Live) | |
| LIVE WIRED · MET 027· DISC 1 // 1. Mortal 2. Vigilante 3. Circuitry 4. Bio-Mechanic 5. Resist 6. Surface PAtterns 7. Plasticity 8. Modus Operandi 9. Liquid Separation | |
| PLASTICITY · MET 020D· 1. Plasticity 2. Replicant 3. Plasticity ( | |
| HARD WIRED · MET 015D· 1. Neologic Spasm 2. Paralyzed 3. Re-Birth 4. Circuitry 5. Mortal (Instrumental) 6. Modus Operandi 7. Transparent Species 8. Barcode 9. Condemned 10. Infra Red Combat | |
| HARD WIRED · MET 015· 1. Neologic Spasm 2. Paralyzed 3. Re-Birth 4. Circuitry 5. Mortal 6. Modus Operandi 7. Transparent Species 8. Barcode 9. Condemned 10. Infra Red Combat | |
| CIRCUITRY · MET 014D· 1. Circuitry (Predator Mix) 2. Circuitry (RMX by Biosphere/Gjenssen) 3. Epidemic 4. Circuitry (Complexity Remix) |
