Front Line Assembly

Infobox musical artist
Name = Front Line Assembly


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Background = group_or_band
Origin = Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Genre = Post-industrial
EBM
Industrial metal
Electronica
Industrial
Electro-industrial
Alternative dance
Years_active = 1986–present
Label = Metropolis
Associated_acts = Conjure One Delerium Left Spine Down
URL =
Current_members = Bill Leeb
Rhys Fulber
Chris Peterson
Jeremy Inkel
Jared Slingerland
Past_members = Michael Balch

Front Line Assembly (sometimes written as Frontline Assembly, also known by the acronym FLA) is a Canadian electro-industrial bandformed in 1986 by Bill Leeb and Michael Balch after Leeb left Skinny Puppy.

History

Following the two demo tapes "Nerve War" and "Total Terror", Front Line Assembly released their first album "The Initial Command" in 1987. Soon Rhys Fulber joined the band. The album "State of Mind" (1988) was the first to be released worldwide.

In 1989 Michael Balch left Front Line Assembly, and joined Ministry. The album "Gashed Senses and Crossfire" was released in 1989, and the track "Digital Tension Dementia" caught the attention of many underground music fans and DJs. "Caustic Grip" was released in 1990, and became an instant classic with underground fans. In 1991, the stand-alone single "Virus" (and also the music video) won extensive play in industrial and dance clubs world wide. The album "Tactical Neural Implant" in 1992 was next, and with it Front Line Assembly became 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 Front Line Assembly's most successful 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" was released, making a complete turn in Front Line Assembly's musical style. The metal influences were subdued and instead electronica dominated the band's new sound. Front Line Assembly made somewhat of a return to their former sound with the album "Implode" (1999), followed by "Epitaph" (2001). Chris Peterson left Front Line Assembly in 2002, and through most of that year it was rumored that the band had essentially broken up.

oy Leeb

Front Line Assembly's performance at the 2002 Wave-Gotik-Treffen festival, which at the time was widely rumored to be their last show, caused a scandal [ [http://www.mindphaser.com/index.php?page_id=647 Review of Wave Gotik Treffen 2002 at mindphaser.com] ] within the industrial music community after pictures [http://music.gothic.ru/events/wgt11/wgt11-ph2.htm] [http://www.djmarsel.de/1024/wgt02/frontline6.jpg] [http://www.rockezine.net/festivals2002/wavegotiktreffen/images/FrontlineAssembly.jpg] 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. [ [http://www.side-line.com/news_comments.php?id=22358_0_2_0_C Forthcoming Front Line Assembly remix album countdown starts] ] 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

Videos

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 "" - 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.

ide Projects

Side projects include:
* Conjure One
* Delerium
* Left Spine Down
* Pro-Tech
* Synæsthesia
* Will
* Intermix
* Noise Unit
* Equinox
* Cyberaktif
* Mutual Mortuary
* Decree

References

External links

*MySpace|thefrontlineassembly|Front Line Assembly
* [http://www.ilike.com/artist/Front+Line+Assembly iLike page]
*Last.fm|Front+Line+Assembly|Front Line Assembly
* [http://www.mindphaser.com Mindphaser.com Unofficial Site]
* [http://www.msdivine.net/frontlineassembly Front Line Assembly Interview on NY Public TV]
* [http://www.legendsmagazine.net/129/rhys.htm Interview w/Rhys Fulber @ Legends]
* [http://www.chaoscontrol.com/?article=front_line_assembly_1994 Front Line Assembly Interview in Chaos Control Digizine]
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[po:Front Line Assembly