SPILL NEW MUSIC: BILL LEEB -“DEMONS”

BILL LEEB – “DEMONS”

METROPOLIS RECORDS

Some artists are more prolific than others. And some artists are so prolific that they end up releasing their music through an array of projects, also profusely. Vancouver-based Austrian-Canadian electronic musician and record producer Bill Leeb happens to fit the latter category. While Leeb originally played a role in Skinny Puppy, he has (since 1986) grown to fame for his flagship project Front Line Assembly (FLA).

A creative trailblazer, whose output and success helped solidify both industrial music and EBM as recognized genres, his collaborations with various artists has also helped shape the electronic music landscape, including through his work with Delerium, he has shown himself to be a sonic chameleon, weaving between industrial and a kaleidoscope of other electronic subgenres. He is also a key member of Noise Unit, Intermix and Cyberaktif.

Finally, four decades into his music career, Bill Leeb will soon unleash his debut solo long-play record Model Kollapse, exploring the intricacies of artificial intelligence and the very survival of humanity itself.

The album won’t be out until September through America’s crown-label of atmospheric, ethereal and industrial music – Metropolis Records. But today, we have the honour of premiering the first single “Terror Forms”, reflecting the dystopian, nihilistic world we have created in so many different ways, ultimately addressing the final question of “what would you do”. Despite its serious nature, ‘Terror Forms’ is a frenzy-filled dose of sonic adrenaline that is infectious and, paradoxically, suitable for the dancefloor. All the better due to the fact that this track also brings in tandem vocals by another brilliant Vancouver artist – namely Shannon Hemmett of post-punk quartet ACTORS (and her solo project LEATHERS). Is dystopian bliss a thing? They could be on to something big here.

Several weeks ago Nina Heckman of Metropolis Records shared words about Leeb joining the label for this release. “We are proud to announce that Metropolis Records has signed Bill Leeb for his first solo project. Bill Leeb has had a prolific career as a founding member of Skinny Puppy, Front Line Assembly and Delerium. His music has been highly influential, and we are excited to see what this new chapter in his career will bring for him and his listeners. I’m honored to fulfill my father’s (Dave Heckman) lifelong vision and to be doing this project with a lifelong family friend I can honestly call family (Bill Leeb). This project is near and dear to all of our hearts here at Metropolis and I know it would make my father proud.” Tragically, Dave Heckman died in the summer of 2022.

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. 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 long-term Delerium collaborator Mimi Page and Jason Corbett of ACTORS and Jacknife Sound Studio.

Hard-edged yet melodic, danceable and very much song-oriented rather than soundscape-driven, the album carries traces of hard-edged electronic dance music pioneers such as Front 242, DAF, KMFDM and Skinny Puppy, as well as his own oeuvre. However, it also displays the influence that acts like these had on latter day artists such as Gesaffelstein and ADULT, not to mention music that came to be known as darkwave.

“Demons” is available digitally everywhere. The full Model Kollapse album will be released on vinyl and CD, as well as digitally, on September 13.

Bill Leeb
[Single]
(Metropolis Records)
Release Date: August 9, 2023

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Background Photo Credit: Bobby Talamine