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Hard-edged electronic music maverick Bill Leeb presents "Demons"!

* article cover picture by Bobby Talamine

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 this autumn 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 (under the pseudonym Wilhelm Schroeder). 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.

Emerging from his debut solo album "Modern Kollapse" the track is a complex and immersive journey through dark electronic soundscapes. "Demons" is built on a foundation of pulsating beats and intricate, glitchy rhythms, characteristic of IDM, while the industrial elements add a raw, mechanical edge. Well structured, with distorted synths and eerie, atmospheric textures creating a dense and dark soundscape, this fusion of genres showcases Leeb's deep-rooted expertise in electronic music, delivering a track that depicts his music experience and history.

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 also LEATHERS), which explored 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?"

‘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 album also involves contributions by LA-based artist Mimi Page, a long-term Delerium collaborator, and Jason Corbett of ACTORS and Jacknife Sound Studio.

Caustic yet melodic, danceable and very much song-oriented rather than soundscape-driven, the "Model Kollapse" 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.

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."

photo by  Derick Photography - derick@photography

Back in 1987, Leeb formed Delerium as a side project, exploring dark ethereal ambient trance, voiceless soundscapes and electronic pop music. Since their debut 1994 'Semantic Spaces' album, Delerium has received two Juno awards and enjoyed many collaborations, involving with 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).

Bill Leeb notes, “Metropolis Records have been and are one of the most important labels for alternative music on this planet and this album was made possible by my long-standing friendship with Dave Heckman (RIP), who continuously supported us through the ages and gave us complete artistic freedom”.  Dave Heckman, who left an indelible mark on the world of underground music, unfortunately passed away in July 2022. The label continues to operate under the guidance of his wife, Gail Heckman, and daughter Nina Heckman, who shares "I'm honored to fulfill my father's lifelong vision and to be doing this project with a lifelong family friend... This project is near and dear to all of our hearts here at Metropolis and I know it would make my father proud."

‘Demons’ will be available everywhere digitally. On September 13, the full "Model Kollapse" album will be released on vinyl and CD, as well as digitally.

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
Performed by Bill Leeb
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

FORMATS: CD, Limited Edition double-album on bleach-pattern vinyl & digital
'Demons' single order  https://ingrv.es/demons-d79-g
'Terror Forms' single order  https://ingrv.es/terror-forms-jvc-s
‘Model Kollapse’ album order  https://frontlineassembly.bandcamp.com/album/model-kollapse

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