Front Line Assembly (also known by the acronym FLA) is a Canadian electro-industrial band formed in 1986 by Bill Leeb and Michael Balch after Leeb left Skinny Puppy.
HistoryFollowing 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.
In 1997, Rhys Fulber left the band to concentrate on producing Fear Factory and other bands. Replacing Fulber was Chris Peterson, who already supported the band on their live shows. Two years after Fulber quit, the 1998 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.
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.
In 2006 the band submitted tracks from their Artificial Soldier to the soundtrack for the horror film FrightWorld, slated for a 2007 release. www.myspace.com/thefrontlineassembly
Members
Live
* Bill Leeb – 1986-present (keyboards, vocals)
* Rhys Fulber 1986-1997, 2002-present (keyboards)
* Chris Peterson – 1990, 1992, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2006 (keyboards)
* Adrian White – 1995, 1996, 2002, 2006 (drums guitar)
* Jason Filipchuk – 1998, 1999, 2002 (keyboards)
* Jared Slingerland – 2006 (guitar)
* Jed Simon – 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999 (guitar)
* Jeremy Inkel – 2006 (keyboards)
* Jason Hagen – 1999 (drums)
* Craig Huxtable – 2006 (keyboards)
Studio
* Bill Leeb – 1986-present (keyboards, vocals)
* Rhys Fulber – 1986-1997, 2002-present (keyboards)
* Chris Peterson – 1997-2002, 2006 (keyboards)
* Jeremy Inkel – 2006 (keyboards)
* Michael Balch – 1987-1989 (keyboards)
* Jeff Stoddard – 1990 (guitars)
* Greg Reely – 1990-present (mixing)
* Devin Townsend – 1994, 1995 (guitars)
* Adrian White – 2006 (guitars/drums)
Discography Studio & Live albums Album Cover Title Year Label Format Notes Nerve War 1986 Independent Cassette
Total Terror 1986 Independent Cassette
The Initial Command 1987 Third Mind Records
KK Records CD
State of Mind 1987 Dossier CD
Corrosion 1988
12" EP Later compiled and re-released in 1995 as part of the Corroded Disorder album. Disorder 1988
12" EP Later compiled and re-released in 1995 as part of the Corroded Disorder album. Convergence 1988 Wax Trax! Records
Third Mind Records
Gashed Senses And Crossfire 1989 Wax Trax! Records CD
Caustic Grip 1990
Tactical Neural Implant 1992
Total Terror Part I 1993
Total Terror Part II 1993
Millennium 1994
Hard Wired 1995
Corroded Disorder 1995
Live Wired 1996
FLAvour of the Weak 1997
Re-wind 1998
Implode 1999
Epitaph 2001
Civilization 2004
Artificial Soldier 2006
Fallout 2007
Singles Album Cover Title Year Label Notes Digital Tension Dimensia 1988
No Limit 1989
Iceolate 1990
The Blade 1992
Surface Patterns 1995
Circuitry 1995
Plasticity 1996
Columbian Necktie 1997
Comatose 1998
Prophecy 1999
Fatalist 1999
Everything Must Perish 2001
Maniacal 2004
Vanished 2004
Other work
* 1989 Live - Limited LP
* 1993 Fear is the Mindkiller - Fear Factory remix ep
* 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
Side Projects
Side projects include:
* Conjure One
* Delerium
* Pro-Tech
* Synæsthesia
* Will
* Intermix
* Noise Unit
* Equinox
* Cyberaktif
* Mutual Mortuary
http://en.wikipedia.org/
