Front Line Assembly
(abbreviated FLA
) is a Canadian electro-industrial band formed by Bill Leeb in 1986 after leaving Skinny Puppy. Influenced by early Industrial acts such as Cabaret Voltaire, Portion Control, D.A.F., Test Dept, SPK, and Severed Heads [1], FLA has developed its own unique sound while combining elements of EBM. The band's membership has rotated through several members over the years, including Rhys Fulber and Michael Balch who are both associated with several other successful artists.
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FRONT LINE ASSEMBLY TICKETS
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History
Formation (1985-1986)
Between 1985-1986, Bill Leeb supported Skinny Puppy under the pseudonym Wilhelm Schroeder. As an early friend of the band he contributed
bass synth and backing vocals for several tracks while also supporting their 1985 tour. Leeb reflects on this period, "Skinny Puppy was a good starting point for me, but there was definitely no way for me to get my ideas across."
His experiences working with Skinny Puppy gave him some insight in the industry and helped shape his ideas for his own personal career.
[2]
Upon the formation of Front Line Assembly, Leeb produced the
Nerve War
demo tape which was distributed on a limited basis (an estimated 50-100 copies were produced).
[3] Around this time, Leeb and Rhys Fulber became friends when they discovered they both had a similar interest in underground music. As an unofficial member at this time, Fulber partnered with Leeb during the production of
Total Terror
and was credited for the song "Black Fluid" on the demo.
[4]
Debut and First Album (1987-1988)
In 1987, Front Line Assembly debuted its first album
The Initial Command
(KK Records, Belgium) with credited assistance by Fulber and Balch. The album had been produced on a tight budget which would determine whether or not cuts would be done with an eight track system or split into two four track cuts.
[5] After finally reaching a point of relative stability, the band's next album,
State of Mind
, was released worldwide.
After working with FLA on an unofficial basis, Balch officially joined the band in 1988 and began writing songs along side Leeb for the next few albums.
[6] Balch mostly contributed by providing keyboards and programming. As Leeb put it, "I would write the songs, and he was really good with the software."
This partnership produced the EPs
Corrosion
and
Disorder
which were later compiled into a full album,
Convergence
.
Growing Popularity (1989-1991)
Fueled by growing success, FLA produced their next album
Gashed Senses And Crossfire
. This album introduced the single "Digital Tension Dementia" which caught the attention of many underground music fans and disc jockeys. While FLA was beginning to grow in popularity, Balch parted ways to join
Ministry. Filling the void, Rhys Fulber officially joined and the two produced
Caustic Grip
—an instant classic with underground fans. Leeb attributed this success to his new partnership with Rhys due to their similar taste in music. Furthermore, Leeb noted that Rhys was "a lot more fun to work with."
[7]
1991-1995
In 1991 the video-single
Virus
gained extensive attention in industrial and dance clubs world wide. The album
Tactical Neural Implant
(1992) was next, making FLA become one of industrial music's most popular bands. The next album
Millennium
(1994) featured a combination of
metal guitars, electronic music, and media sampling (much of which was taken from the
Michael Douglas film
Falling Down
), which had become one of the characteristics of industrial rock and
industrial metal during the 1990s.
Hard Wired
(1995) and the world tour following the release was FLA's most successful commercial and critical period.
Rhys leaves
In 1997, Rhys Fulber left the band to concentrate on producing
Fear Factory and other bands. Replacing Fulber was Chris Peterson, who had already supported the band on their live shows. Soon after Fulber quit, the 1997 album
FLAvour of the Weak
—a stylistically divergent album—was released. The metal influences gave way to an
electronica sound. FLA made somewhat of a return to their former sound with the album
Implode
(1999), followed by
Epitaph
(2001). Chris Peterson left FLA in 2002, and through most of that year it was rumored that the band had essentially broken up.
Soy Leeb
FLA's performance at the 2002
Wave-Gotik-Treffen festival, which at the time was widely rumored to be their last show, caused a scandal
[8] within the industrial music community after pictures of FLA's performance circulated the internet. Many believe that Leeb had an impersonator perform for him. This stand-in came to be known to some of the online fan base as "Soy Leeb".
Rhys returns
However, in 2003, Rhys Fulber rejoined the band. The single
Maniacal
was released in October 2003, launching a new phase in the band's career, and the album
Civilization
followed in early 2004. Chris Peterson later rejoined the band, and the trio of Leeb/Fulber/Peterson released
Artificial Soldier
in 2006. The support tour has been cut short due to a problem with the company supplying the tour bus, and the band acknowledged that they were returning home to Vancouver earlier than planned after playing roughly half of their scheduled tour in the United States (dates in New York and Canada were canceled). The band toured in Europe in August 2006 covering 18 cities.
Recent
In 2006 the band submitted tracks from their
Artificial Soldier
to the soundtrack for the horror film
FrightWorld
, slated for a 2007 release.
Out in April 2007 via Metropolis was the Frontline Assembly remix album
Fallout
. The album was released in a 4-panel digipak and featured three brand new tracks ("Electric Dreams", "Unconscious" and "Armageddon") and nine remixes by (among others) Combichrist, Covenant, Portion Control,
Sebastian R. Komor (
Zombie Girl/
Icon of Coil), Rhys Fulber and more.
[9] The band went out to tour North America and Europe again in 2007.
Name spelling
The spelling of the band name has varied over the years – various albums spell the name in compound form ("Frontline Assembly"), while the majority spells it in three words. The abbreviation "FLA", also used on various albums, perhaps hints toward the correct spelling being three words.
Members
Member
| Contribution
| Studio
| Live
|
Bill Leeb
| Keyboards, vocals
| 1986-present
| 1986-present
|
Rhys Fulber
| Keyboards, Percussion
| 1986-1997, 2002-present
| 1989-1996
|
Greg Reely
| Mixing
| 1990-present
| 1995-1999
|
Chris Peterson
| Keyboards
| 1997-2002, 2006-present
| 1990-92, 1998-2002, 2006-present
|
Jeremy Inkel
| Keyboards
| 2005-present
| 2006-present
|
Jared Slingerland
| Guitar
| 2006-present
| 2006-present
|
Michael Balch
| Keyboards, Mixing
| 1987-1989
| 1989
|
Jeff Stoddard
| Guitars
| 1990-1992
|
Devin Townsend
| Guitars
| 1994, 1995
|
Jed Simon
| Guitar
| 1999
| 1995-1999
|
Jason Filipchuk
| Keyboards
| 2000
| 1998-2002
|
Adrian White
| Drums
| 2006-2007
| 1995-1996, 2002, 2006-2007
|
Glen Reely
| Mixing
|
| 2006-present
|
Jason Hagen
| Drums
|
| 1998-99
|
Craig Joseph Huxtable
| Keyboards
|
| 2006
|
Discography
;Major Releases
- 1986: Nerve War
- 1986: Total Terror
- 1987: The Initial Command
- 1988: State of Mind
- 1988: Corrosion
- 1988: Disorder
- 1988: Convergence
- 1989: Gashed Senses And Crossfire
- 1990: Caustic Grip
- 1992: Tactical Neural Implant
- 1994: Millennium
- 1995: Corroded Disorder
- 1995: Hard Wired
- 1996: Live Wired
- 1997: [FLAvour of the Weak
- 1998: Re-wind
- 1999: Implode
- 2001: Epitaph
- 2004: Civilization
- 2006: Artificial Soldier
- 2007: Fallout
|
;Singles
- 1988: Digital Tension Dementia
- 1989: No Limit
- 1990: Iceolate
- 1990: Provision
- 1991: Virus
- 1992: Mindphaser
- 1992: The Blade
- 1994: Millennium
- 1995: Surface Patterns
- 1995: Circuitry
- 1996: Plasticity
- 1997: Colombian Necktie
- 1998: Comatose
- 1999: Prophecy
- 1999: Fatalist
- 2001: Everything Must Perish
- 2003: Maniacal
- 2004: Vanished
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;Other releases
- 1989: Live
- Limited LP
- 1993: ''Total Terror I and II - Re-release of early demos and rarities.
- 1996: The Remix Wars - Strike 2
- Remix CD
- 1997: Reclamation
- Singles compilation
- 1998: Columbian Necktie/Evil Playground
- 12" mixes
- 1998: ''Monument - Rarities collection
- 1998: The Singles: Four Fit
- Singles compilation
- 1999: ''Explosion - Singles compilation
- 1999: Quake III Arena Soundtrack, together with Sonic Mayhem
- 2004: ''Complete Total Terror - Two-disc compilation featuring most of the original Total Terror demo tape along with other material from the same time period.
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Side projects
Side projects include:
- Conjure One
- Delerium
- Left Spine Down
- Pro-Tech
- Synæsthesia
- Will
- Intermix
- Noise Unit
- Equinox
- Cyberaktif
- Mutual Mortuary
- Decree
References
- From 'Lively Arts' 1987, interview by Emily Armstrong
- Front Line Assembly History at Mindphaser 3.0
- Discogs Notes for ''Nerve War''
- Rhys Fulber Biography on Mindphaser 3.0
- Interview from Alternative Press by Mike Shea from 1988
- Michael Balch Biography on Mindphaser 3.0
- Interview: Front Line Assembly By Joe Radio Live on-air, November 23, 1990
- Review of Wave Gotik Treffen 2002 at mindphaser.com
- Forthcoming Front Line Assembly remix album countdown starts