“A frenzy-filled dose of sonic adrenaline that is infectious and, paradoxically, suitable for the dancefloor… Is dystopian bliss a thing? They could be on to something big here” ~ The Spill Magazine
“You are getting Leeb’s classic vocals and lyrics, and some FLA style programming… some of the specific textures and bits of production feel different than anything in recent memory from the venerable artist” ~ I Die: You Die
“Instantly recognizable… still sounds like something unmistakably new… sinister synthetic soundscape” ~ Rock and Roll Fables
Hard-edged electronic music maverick Bill Leeb presents ‘Demons’, a song rooted in the inherent darkness and malevolence we see around us, where humans constantly deal with adversity while seeking purpose, joy and creativity. Reflecting on the omnipresence of technology and the internal battles we wage, this is ultimately a defiant anthem of perseverance.
This is the second taste of Leeb’s debut solo album‘Model Kollapse’, out on September 13 via iconic alternative music label Metropolis Records.
Based in Vancouver, Bill Leeb is the mastermind behind highly influential electro-industrial scene mainstays Front Line Assembly and ambient-pop duo Delerium, having gotten his start with Skinny Puppy. He is also a key member of other occasional recording projects, including Noise Unit, Intermix and Cyberaktif. Almost four decades on, his new album was recorded and produced in Vancouver, Toronto and Los Angeles with assistance from Vancouver/Toronto-based production duo Dream Bullet and long-term FLA/Delerium cohort Rhys Fulber, plus regular mixing engineer Greg Reely.
“The song is inspired by how much darkness and evil exist in the world. How we have to carefully navigate ourselves through all of this on a day-to-day basis and still try and find a reason to get up, be happy to be alive, and try to be creative. Technologies are here to stay. Demons exist everywhere in our minds, in our hearts, and every aspect, so we have to fight,” says Bill Leeb.
An instant industrial-EDM classic, ‘Demons’ plunges listeners into a menacing, synthetic underworld. With a career spanning back to the early 1980s, Leeb’s signature blend of creeping electronic darkness and high-octane energy once again delivers an adrenaline-fueled sonic assault.
Not long ago, Leeb shared the first single – ‘Terror Forms’ featuring Shannon Hemmett of Vancouver post-punk quartet ACTORS (and alsoLEATHERS), exploring the intricacies of artificial intelligence and the very survival of humanity itself. Quite fitting with the overall theme for this album, which explores the dystopian, nihilistic world we have created in so many different ways, ultimately asking the question “When will the human voice be lost to AI and technology….or will that be what saves us in the end?”
Based in Vancouver, Bill Leeb is the mastermind behind highly influential electro-industrial scene mainstays Front Line Assembly and ambient-pop duo Delerium, having gotten his start with Skinny Puppy (under the pseudonym Wilhelm Schroeder). He is also a key member of other occasional recording projects, including Noise Unit, Intermix and Cyberaktif.
Four decades on, his new album was recorded and produced in Vancouver, Toronto and Los Angeles with assistance from Vancouver/Toronto-based production duo Dream Bullet and long-term FLA/Delerium cohort Rhys Fulber, plus regular mixing engineer Greg Reely. This album also involves contributions by LA-based artist Mimi Page, a long-term Delerium collaborator, and Jason Corbett of ACTORS and Jacknife Sound Studio.
‘Model Kollapse’ marks Leeb’s first solo venture since the mid-80s days of Front Line Assembly, when he used to make recordings in his bedroom and released them on limited edition cassette format. This record reflects the dystopian, nihilistic world we have created in so many different ways, ultimately asking the question “When will the human voice be lost to AI and technology….or will that be what saves us in the end?”
Caustic yet melodic, danceable and very much song-oriented rather than soundscape-driven, ‘Model Kollapse’ carries traces of hard-edged electronic dance music pioneers such as Front 242, DAF, KMFDM and Skinny Puppy.
The term “Model Collapse” refers to a phenomenon in artificial intelligence where trained models, especially those relying on synthetic data or AI-generated data, eventually degrade over time. Leeb posits the notion that “as we forge forward on an unprecedented technological scale, it makes me wonder how much longer we can remain in control of various aspects of our lives. Automation has already taken over many industries. With technology running much of the world, will the entire planet eventually be vulnerable to a Model Kollapse? Chaos would surely ensue.”
Leeb formed Delerium in 1987, exploring dark ethereal ambient trance and pop. Since debuting with the ‘Semantic Spaces’ album, Delerium has enjoyed two Juno awards and many collaborations, involving Leigh Nash (Sixpence None the Richer),Lisa Gerrard (Dead Can Dance), Kirsty Hawkshaw (Opus III), Emily Haines (Metric), Jacqui Hunt (Single Gun Theory), Matthew Sweet and Kristy Thirsk (Rose Chronicles). Their worldwide hit ‘Silence’ with Sarah McLachlan reached #1 in numerous countries, its remixes also hailed among the greatest trance songs of all time (the Tiësto remix was voted the 12th-greatest dance track of all time by Mixmag readers).
‘Demons’ is out now everywhere digitally. On September 13, the full ‘Model Kollapse’ album will be released on vinyl and CD, as well as digitally.
Album order / Bandcamp
https://frontlineassembly.bandcamp.com/album/model-kollapse
CREDITS
Recorded and produced in Vancouver, Toronto, Los Angeles and the Okanagan, British Columbia
Written and produced by Bill Leeb and Dream Bullet
Additional production by Rhys Fulber
Recorded, mixed and mastered by Greg Reely
‘Demons’ performed by Bill Lee
‘Terror Forms’ performed by Bill Leeb and Shannon Hemmett
Videos created by Tim Hill
Album artwork by Allen Jaeger
Released by Metropolis Records
Publicity by Shauna McLarnon for Shameless Promotion PR
Artist photos by Bobby Talamine
ALBUM TRACK LIST
1 Demons
2 Exotic Matter
3 Neuromotive
4 Folded Hands
5 Pinned Down
6 Terror Forms
7 Muted Obsessions
8 Simulation
9 Infernum
10 Erosion Through Time
11 Sound Mirrors
Keep up with Bill Leeb
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Keep up with Metropolis Records
Website | Bandcamp | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube