Front Line Assembly was the best known of the various electronic music projects undertaken by the prolific Vancouver-based duo of
Bill Leeb (vocals, synthesizers) and
Rhys Fulber (synthesizers, samplers). After working in the mid-'80s under the pseudonym
Wilhelm Schroeder with
Skinny Puppy, the Austrian-born
Leeb formed the industrial/techno-based
Front Line Assembly in 1986 with
Fulber -- who initially joined on as a studio assistant -- and synth player
Michael Balch. After a handful of compilation appearances and cassette-only releases,
Front Line Assembly issued its first three full-length efforts -- The Initial Command,
State of Mind, and
Corrosion -- on a monthly basis between December 1987 and February 1988. Later in 1988,
Corrosion, a subsequent mini-album titled
Disorder, and a number of exclusive bonus tracks were compiled and released as
Convergence.
In 1989, the group returned with the album
Gashed Senses & Crossfire, which contained the dance-flavored singles "Digital Tension Dementia" and "No Limit." A European tour in support of the record yielded a live album -- titled simply
Live -- that was released and deleted on the same day in a limited edition of 4,000 pressings. After
Balch departed
Front Line Assembly in 1990,
Fulber stepped in as a full partner; the streamlined duo soon released the electro-styled album
Caustic Grip, while 1992's
Tactical Neural Implant found the group's music moving in a harder-edged disco direction. By 1994, the sound evolved yet again, with the album
Millennium displaying a newfound reliance on guitars; both the title track and "This Faith" scored as club hits.
Fulber departed the lineup by 1997, while his replacement
Chris Peterson debuted with 1998's
Monument.
Implode appeared one year later. Sticking with a heavy dose of synth pop trance and throbbing melodies,
Leeb and
Peterson issued
Epitaph in fall 2001.
Rhys Fulber returned for the 2001 album
Civilization and remained for the 2006 release
Artificial Soldier, which found guitarist/keyboardist
Jeremy Inkel joining the band. The remix album
Fallout followed in 2007.
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Jason Ankeny, Rovi